Day After Tomorrow
by The-Seven-Eeveelutions
Summary: Vitani is the brave, adventureous, loyal daughter of King Scar and Queen Zira. But Scar doesn't want a female heir and so it falls upon Nala to care for the young cub. Follow the adventures and misadventures of Vitani, the adopted daughter of Simba and Nala, and her best friends as they grow up together in the Pride Lands. Meanwhile, Zira and the Outsiders seek to avenge Scar...
1. Enter the Shadowlands

Author's Note: A few month's ago, a fellow Lion King fan PMed me and asked me to write a multi-chapter fanfic about what Vitani's life would've been like if she grew up in the Pride Lands instead of the Outlands. This is that story. Before we begin though, I'd just like to clear up a few things.

All characters you won't find mentioned in the official canon are property of and belong to me. For that purpose, they are only at home in my stories and don't wish to be taken elsewhere. The possible exception to this is Mawi, who belongs to AquitarStar.

In this story, Vitani is not the daughter of Nala or Simba. She is the offspring of Scar and Zira, her littermate is still Kovu, and Nuka is still her goofy older brother. On that note, Kovu is the son of Scar and Zira, along with Nuka. This is made possible because [Spoiler Alert!] Kiara is nonexistent.

Ok I think that's everything. If at any time you have a question within the course of this story, please don't hesitate to ask. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride folks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lion King or any of the characters you recognize from the franchise, and the general idea for this story came from AquitarStar. Everything else is mine.

* * *

Chapter 1: Enter the Shadowlands – A Princess is Born

"Alright, Zeeruh, just one more big push." A pale dark tan lioness, too weary to offer back a proper retort, simply took a large breath and pushed with all her might. A large half-scream/half-roar accompanied this action. All was silent for a few minutes and then, "Congratulations, yer cubs eer well." Rafiki, the old medicine mandrill that served the Pride for generations, bent over the two cubs and offered them both a warm smile. The truth was he pitied them both for the life they were born into. The Shadowlands were a very dangerous place for cubs. There was hardly any food left; the herds had moved on long ago to escape the drought that plagued this land. The waterhole had completely dried up, though there was still a river on the Northeastern boarder that held dirty, murky water for those who were brave or desperate enough to drink from it. The tall pale green grass and sparse trees which once covered the land had died and shriveled away, leaving only dust-covered, dry, cracked earth in its' place. The single exception to the rule was Rafiki's own dwelling, an ancient baobab tree that had been alive and thriving even before he first came to the kingdom back when it was known by its true title: the Pride Lands.

"Give me my cubs, you filthy ape. I'll be the judge of whether or not they are good enough for Scar." Zira snapped as she roughly shoved Rafiki away. Zira was Queen of the Shadowlands, and she was as conniving, cynical, coldhearted, and opportunistic as Scar himself. She had joined the Pride a little over two and a half years ago, shortly after Scar became King. Her expert hunting skills and ruthless nature quickly caught Scar's eye, and he wasn't exactly bothered by her appearance either. As for Zira, she was utterly devoted to Scar, eternally grateful to him for taking her in and making her the second most powerful lion in the Pride. She loved his unbridled intelligence and his willingness to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. They were truly a match made in…well, made in someplace.

Zira's beady blood-red eyes scanned both small bodies for any signs of malformations or weaknesses. Scar wouldn't tolerate _another _cub as weak and frail and stupid as Nuka. Zira gave a scoff as she thought of her eldest cub. Not quiet six months old, Nuka was skinny and weak for his age. He was grayish chestnut in color with Zira's eyes and a red tinge to his coat from Scar. He was also filled with a cub-like optimism and innocence that constantly grated Zira's nerves. They would have to do something about that. Satisfied with her inspection, she picked up the darker auburn colored cub, leaving Rafiki to carry the brighter tan-orange one. As Rafiki shuffled behind the Queen, he felt young cub nestle in his arm. His large eyes looked down at the cub and his mouth split into a huge smile. This cub, he knew, was special.

To get to the main cave where Scar was resting, they had to pass hundreds of hyenas along the way. When Scar became King, he merged the hyena clan with the Pride, causing a surplus of over hunting that got rid of a lot of animals before the drought even hit the land. Now there was not only a drought, but famine, leading the hyenas to gang up on the lionesses or eat anyone who died of malnourishment. Often times, though they would never eat one of their own, the Pride-sisters found themselves having to scrounge whatever was left by the poachers that now inhabited their land. As Zira walked pass the hyenas with her head held high, they bowed low to their Queen, but when Rafiki passed, they snapped and growled at him, most of them slobbering and clearly wanting to eat the old mandrill. Rafiki frowned and held the newborn closer to his chest while keeping one hand tightly secure around his staff. After what seemed like a lifetime of dodging snapping drooling hyenas, Rafiki and Zira arrived at the main den.

Once the home of the entire Pride, now only the royal family and Scar's three main hyenas were allowed inside, though more often than not the latter grouping was chased away after coming to complain for the thousandth time about food or water or insubordinate lionesses. Scar, who was picking his teeth with the bone of some poor unfortunate creature, looked up to see them enter. "Ah, Zira. Tell me my sweet, have you produced a worthy heir for me?"

Zira placed the cub she was carrying down before Scar. "I have, my King. This is your son, Kovu."

Scar said nothing in reply and simply studied the auburn cub intently with his intelligent green eyes. Finally after five minutes of looking it over, he gave a nod. "Yes, this is my heir. This is Crown Prince Kovu of the Shadowlands. Well done, Zira. You shall be rewarded handsomely for this."

Zira smirked devilishly. "Whatever you say, my King."

He then turned his attention to Rafiki. "What are you waiting for, ape? Get ready to present my heir!"

"Sire, Rafiki does not tink it wise to present de cubs too soon. Most cubs were preesinted around feefteen days of age, even yer firstborn Nuka. Perhaps it would be beeter eef you wait awhile."

"Nonsense, we will do it immediately! Remember, baboon, I am the only thing between you and all of _them._" He waved his paw at the entrance, where Rafiki could only stare at the hundreds, if not thousands of hyenas scattered around Pride Rock. He could still hold his own pretty well in a fight, but not against so many adversaries at once even if they were only hyenas. And Scar knew that. "Now, let's get going!" Scar commanded and walked regally out on to the platform of Pride Rock. Zira followed him, carrying their son. Rafiki, left with no other choice, went to perform the ceremony. All the hyenas were gathered below, and the Pride-sisters stood off to the side away from the cackling canines. Nuka was standing proudly between his mother and father, though neither paid any attention to him. Rafiki felt his heart break for the cub, but said nothing, knowing it would be futile to try and convince the tyrant couple to see the error of their ways.

He took Kovu in his other hand and went to the peak of the platform. After setting the other cub down for a minute, he broke open a gourd from his staff, reminding himself to replace it later, and marked the cub's forehead with the juice. He then proceeded to sprinkle sand over the newborn, who gave a small mew, but other than that remained quiet and still. He lifted the auburn cub high into the air, much higher than he did to Nuka at his presentation, symbolizing Kovu being Crown Prince—Scar's heir. The lionesses bowed to the young cub, as did the hyenas. Placing Kovu on the ground, Rafiki reached for the older of the two, but was stopped by Scar. "No, not that one."

Rafiki turned to Scar in surprise. "But de cub must be preesinted. It is tradishion fer all cubs of royal blood."

"No, that one's a female. I will not have a female heir."

"She is yer dawter."

"She is not my daughter!" Scar roared loudly, causing both cubs to start whimpering. "She will _never_ be my daughter! Drown her in the river for all I care!" The King spat venomously before turning on his heel and retreating into the den. Zira gave Rafiki a look of cold hatred, as she too turned her back on her newborn daughter and took Kovu into the den with her. Nuka was confused about his parent's anger. What had the baby done to make them so angry? Curiosity winning him over, the scrawny cub approached Rafiki cautiously, nervous about being so high up.

"What's wrong with it?" He asked the baboon. "Why does dad hate it so much?"

Rafiki sighed. "Yer fawder doesn't want a female for an heir." He tried to explain to the young cub.

"Oh. Well, what's gonna happen to her?"

"Rafiki knows not, but de cub won't survive on her own fer very long."

"Maybe mom and dad just need to take the time to get to know her better." Nuka suggested.

This surprised Rafiki. The young Prince aspired to be just like his father and emulated him constantly. Yet Scar made it known he hated the young cub, going as far as to publicly disown her, and instead of copying his father in his hatred for her, Nuka believed that the tyrant could come to love her if he gave her the chance. "Maybe." Rafiki agreed, though he really didn't think that was a likely possibility.

"What's her name?" Nuka wondered.

"She doesn't ave one." Rafiki answered, muttering under his breath so Nuka couldn't hear, "and Rafiki doubts Zeerah will geve her one." He lowered his arms so the Prince could see his younger sister, as he was craning his neck to get a glimpse of her.

Nuka stared for a moment, enchanted by the young cub in the baboon's arms. It amazed him that she was so small. Even _he _could hurt her if he wanted to. She was so tiny, so dependent on others for food or safety, and yet Nuka sensed there something special about her. That she would grow to do great things one day. "Vitani." Nuka said softly. "That's her name; Vitani."

Rafiki nodded. "And a good name at dat. It suits her well."

Nuka beamed. "You think so?" Before Rafiki had the chance to reply, Zira called for the young cub. "I gotta go. Can I take Vitani with me? I promise I'll look after her." Rafiki nodded and Nuka gently took his sister from the monkey and tried to carry her into the den. He ran too fast, though, and tripped, dropping the infant on the hard stone which caused Vitani to begin crying. "Oh, hey, don't cry." The older cub tried to calm her down. "That was an accident; I didn't mean to drop you. I would never ever do anything to hurt you little sis. I promise, no matter what I will always protect you." Nuka nuzzled her close and smiled as she began to quiet down. The brief moment of warmth and pride he felt soon vanished as Zira called for him yet again. "Coming!" He shouted back. "Let's try this again." He said to himself. Picking Vitani up gently and moving slower this time around, Nuka made it inside the cave without dropping his sister a second time.

* * *

As night fell upon the Shadowlands sending most creatures to sleep; Rafiki worked diligently in his tree. Taking some paint from one of the many gourds that lay strewn about, he added two new additions to the many lions and lionesses painted on the trunk. "…Kohvew and Vihtahnee…Prince and Princess of de Shadowlands." His thumb dripping with blue paint, he was just about to mark Kovu as Crown Prince when the wind blew around him carrying whispers no one else could hear. "Huh? You're sure?" The wind picked up a little as if to reaffirm its pervious request. Letting out a sigh, Rafiki's thumb hovered over Kovu's image for another moment before rising an inch to the drawing of the cub over his and painting a blue arc over the head of the lioness depicted there. "Marking Vihtahnee as Crown Princess defies Scar's will." He spoke seemingly to himself. "I just hope you know what you are doing!" The wind blew around him yet again, and if any other animal could speak with the wind, they would hear great laughter. _I always do. _

* * *

Nuka let out a big lion-sized yawn as he woke up. Stretching his limbs, his eyes fell on the sleeping form of Vitani. She was getting older now; the light grey spots that once dotted her head and back were nearly all gone and her tail tuft was beginning to grow out some. She still looked so helpless though, and Nuka couldn't help but wonder how much longer they could keep this up. The young Prince had once thought that his parents would come to love the cub as he had, if only they took the time to get to know her. He was wrong. Neither Scar nor Zira ever spared one passing glance to their daughter in the little over two weeks she'd been alive. While they both seemed to live for her littermate and younger brother Kovu, even Scar would allow his youngest son to lie with him from time to time, a luxury Nuka never had. In spite of all this, Nuka still loved his parents, though he wished they would realize they had a third cub. Actually, he wouldn't mind some positive attention himself for once. _Maybe one day,_ he thought optimistically.

He was shaken out of his musings by a small yawn. He smiled brightly as Vitani's eyelids fluttered open revealing her odd electric blue eyes. Only one other lion in the Pride had blue eyes—a young lioness by the name of Nala. But Vitani's eyes always seemed to sparkle with an opposition to the barren wasteland that was their home. Even at such a young age the lioness cub possessed a fighting spirit that refused to be smothered. "Hey Tani." Nuka whispered so as not awaken their sleeping parents. "Ready to go?"

An enthusiastic nod was her reply, as she couldn't quite speak yet. Nuka picked up his little sister and quietly left the cave into the early morning air. Once they were at the bottom of Pride Rock, Nuka hid Vitani behind a rock while he checked to see if any hyenas were up and about. They wouldn't hurt him because he had Scar's protection, even if his father didn't spend much time with him, but Vitani had neither Scar's attention nor his protection from the mangy flea infested canines that worked for him. Nuka only knew this because the day after Vitani had been born; the three hyenas that seemed to lead the others had come to Scar and asked him if they could eat the cub since he didn't want her. The King replied that he simply didn't care and that maybe they should because it would stop their complaining for awhile _and _get rid of the 'mewling furball'. That was the first time in his life Nuka ever disagreed with his father, albeit to himself, and that was the day Nuka realized just how dangerous life was going to be for his sister, which only strengthened his resolve to always protect her.

Nuka, finding most of the hyenas asleep, went back to get Vitani and then snuck by the inactive canines. _Huh, talk about letting sleeping dogs lie. _He thought to himself, nearly busting out in laughter and dropping the younger cub. Sobering up, he carefully slunk pass and took care not to even breathe loudly until they were far away from Pride Rock, where it was safer. "Ok, Tani." He said, sitting the cub down. "Let's try again. Ready?"

The blue eyed cub nodded eagerly and pushed herself up onto all four paws. Her legs shook a little bit, still trying to get used to supporting her weight, but she remained standing. Once she was sure she was balanced, she stiffly moved her left forepaw forward. She then moved her right forepaw causing her to slump over as if she were stretching. Nuka moved to help her, but she hissed at him to make him back off. She could do this by herself. She tried to maneuver her back legs to catch up with her front ones, but that just resulted in her middle getting smushed together uncomfortably. She tried to back up and un-scrunch herself, but she lost her footing and fell backwards.

Nuka couldn't help himself and burst out laughing at Vitani's clear '_what happened'_ expression. Vitani pouted at her brother's laughter, knowing she was the punch line, and stuck out her tongue out in annoyance. Nuka duplicated her action and they took turns blowing raspberries at one another. All of a sudden she stopped and turned herself over, looking for all the world a picture of innocence. Rafiki appeared behind Nuka. "Oh yes, blowing razberries at de baybe. Very mature." He laughed.

Nuka blushed. "No, it wasn't like that…she's a conniving snake, that's what she is." He said the last part directly at Vitani, who just offered a smile that was equal parts innocent, cheeky, and amused. Nuka found himself laughing despite being outwitted by a fifteen day-old cub. "She's my little sister."

"She is," Rafiki agreed. "And she is proboely hungree too." He sat down a shallow half-gourd filled with Safou juice for Vitani to drink. She wasn't yet able to digest meat and Zira only allowed Kovu to drink her milk, so this was the only thing they could give her. It wasn't much, but it kept her alive. Vitani wrinkled her nose in distaste, but lapped up the juice anyway. It tasted kind of like a cross between the bottom of a hyena's foot and rotten bird eggs; it was also the most similar substance to lioness milk she would get and the liquid her body would most easily accept—next to the real thing of course. After she finished her breakfast, Rafiki collected the gourd dish and was off.

Nuka flicked his tail a few times wondering what to do next, since walking clearly had been a dud. A small giggle came from behind him and he turned his head to see Vitani moving choppily trying to catch his tail tuft. Nuka could've smacked himself, why didn't he think of this before? Vitani, being a lion, had the natural instinct to stalk and catch anything that moved. He could use that instinct to teach her. He slowed the movement of his tail, giving her time to get to it before moving it to the side. _Relying on instinct makes everything easier, _Nuka thought as he allowed her to "catch" the end of his tail causing her to smirk with pride. After another half hour of walking lessons, Vitani yawned, ready for a nap. She was only fifteen days old after all.

Picking her up by her nape, Nuka took her back to Pride Rock and, after making sure all the hyenas were off pestering Scar or the lionesses for food, hid her in one of the smaller caves around the back of Pride Rock. "We'll play some more when you wake up." He promised as she let out another small yawn and made herself comfortable. "Sweet dreams, Tani." He didn't see Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed watching from the shadows he trotted happily back to the main den, leaving young Vitani completely unprotected.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! It's a cliffhanger, aren't I awful? Please review!**


	2. Despair and Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Lion King or "You'll be in My Heart". That's Disney and Phil Collins respectively.

* * *

Chapter 2: Despair and Hope—Vitani Meets Nala

Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed smirked as Nuka took the path back to the main cave, oblivious to their presence. "It must be very taxing on such a young cub to take care of an infant." Shenzi said. "What say we take it off his hands?" Ed howled with laughter.

"That sounds like a feline plan to me, Shenzi." Banzai agreed. "I _love _white meat."

"I want the head and feet."

"Fine, but I get the shoulders and belly." Banzai allowed. Ed growled in disagreement. That only left the tail for him. "No, you can't have the belly, that's the best part. All the really rich, tasty meat is there." Ed yipped in frustration and lunged at Banzai. The two wrestled noisily, biting and clawing at each other as the rolled around kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Hey cut it out!" Shenzi yelled as she jumped to the side to avoid getting crashed into. "Knock it off or someone's gonna hear us! Do you really want to share free game with the whole clan?" Grudgingly, Banzai and Ed broke apart, coming to consensus that they did not want to fight off everyone in the clan for the snack they found. But as the trio tried to sort out who got which body part, they didn't realize their argument had awoken the object of their quarrel.

Vitani's blue eyes filled with fright when she saw three scary-looking animals bigger than her bickering about who was gonna get to eat her. She looked around for Nuka, knowing he would protect her from these monsters, but he was nowhere to be found. Her lip trembled, but she held back her whimpers not wanting alert the three hyenas to her presence sooner than need be. Looking back at her would-be-attackers and relieved to find they were still tied up in their argument and completely unaware of her conscious state, she scooted her paws against the hard stone gradually moving inch by inch to the opening of the small grotto. Successfully outside, she teetered back and forth as she tried to get away without being noticed.

But Shenzi did notice her as she tried to quietly escape on wobbly legs. "Hey she's getting away!" The female hyena shouted. That shut up both Banzai and Ed, as all three of them lunged after her. Vitani wasn't old enough to run yet, and could only continue her toddling movement as her pursuers began to catch up with her. Knowing she couldn't outrun them, Vitani searched helplessly for an escape route and found none. The hyena trio had caught up to her by now and surrounded her, their faces a picture of sadistic amusement. "Don't worry. We're gonna slice you up so you won't even feel a thing. How's that?" Shenzi laughed and Ed joined in.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" An angry female voice belonging to an even angrier lioness interrupted. The hyenas and Vitani both looked up to see a tawny, sleek lioness with calm pale blue eyes standing over the young cub with her claws unsheathed. She bared her teeth and spoke again, her tail lashing out angrily behind her. "You three never quit, do you?"

"Hey, Scar said we could eat this cub! Go get your own bite-sized morsel!" Banzai shouted.

"What would Scar say if he knew you were trailing his son?"

The hyenas gulped nervously. While Scar might not favor Nuka as he did Kovu, he still made it clear that the young lion was off the menu and that if any of the hyenas were caught doing anything that could be remotely considered attempting to break that rule, they would face his wrath. "No need to get testy, Nala." Shenzi tried to smooth the angry feline over. "After all, we're old friends right?"

"Hardly," the young adult lioness scoffed, remembering all to well when Shenzi and her cohorts nearly ate her and her cub-hood friend Simba. Pushing away the sorrowful thoughts of her deceased best friend, she focused on the hyenas. "But I won't tell Scar about your compromisable actions around Nuka if you leave now and don't bother this cub ever again."

"Scar wouldn't believe you." Banzai exclaimed. "He knows us."

"That's exactly why he would believe me." Nala said as Ed stupidly nodded his agreement with her. "Do we have a deal?"

"Fine." Banzai said after whacking Ed upside the head. "We have one; for the moment." Grumbling, the hyenas left down the back of Pride Rock, annoyed at having lost out on an easily meal.

Nala looked down at the cub just as Vitani looked up at her savior. Blue eyes met blue and a moment of understanding passed between them. Nala bent down and picked up the small cub and Vitani allowed her to do so, knowing that she was safe with this lioness just as she was safe with Nuka. Nala brought her to another cave, this one substantially bigger than the small hole she rested in before, yet smaller still than the main den. Inside rested two middle aged lionesses. One was the same tawny color as Nala and had the same light eyeshades as her. The only real difference was her age, voice, and apple-green eye color. The other was dark beige in coloration and more heavily built than the other two. She had a prominent jaw with a brown nose, ears rimmed with brown and eyes orange in color. Her paws were also colored, unlike the other two.

"Who do we have here?" The older tawny lioness wondered as Nala gently put the young lioness on the floor. Vitani's beady blue eyes widened but she didn't move from where Nala placed her, unsure of what to make of these other two lions. After all, she had only ever really been around one cub and one crazy monkey her entire life, short though it was. She wasn't sure what these bigger lions wanted with her.

"Isn't that Scar's cub?" The stockier lioness asked.

"No it's not." Her friend argued. "He gave her up just because she was a girl! I've never seen anything so—so brutal!"

"Most of the things Scar does are brutal. He's running the kingdom right into the ground. And for what? For power? Authority? His arrogance will be the death of us all! If I were a younger lioness I'd—"

"Quiet please, Sarabi." Nala said looking out the cave to make sure no passers by heard the former Queen. "Your words boarder dangerously close to treason, if you haven't crossed the line already."

Sarabi scoffed; her normally calm and gentle voice bitter and filled with pain. "Oh, what can Scar do to me now? My husband's dead, my son—so young. Not even the lionesses can survive much longer; most have already given up. He can't take anything more away from me."

"But he can take you away from us."

Nala nodded. "Mom's right, Sarabi we need you. You're the reason both of us are still alive." She said, thinking of the first few weeks after Simba's death, when Nala had all but given up the will to live, her mother not that far behind her. It had been Sarabi who coaxed them into wanting to live again. Sarabi who reminded them that Simba and Mufasa wouldn't want them to give their lives up when they still had so much to give the world and so much to be given in turn. Sarabi who said it was up to the three of them to keep the Pride going now, to give them hope in such dark days.

"I suppose you're right. Thank you, Sarafina, young Nala for your kind words."

Sarafina nodded. "Now that that's settled, what are we going to do about the cub?"

"I don't know." Nala admitted. "I don't even know if she has a name."

"Um, she does actually." A young voice spoke up from behind. The three lionesses turned to see the young Prince Nuka standing timidly in the entrance to the cave. "Her name's Tani…Vitani."

"It's a beautiful name." Sarafina said.

"I picked out myself." Nuka said, pride ringing in his voice. Lower he said, "Mom and dad weren't going to call her anything so I had to."

"Tell me little one, have you been looking after Vitani all this time?" Sarabi asked.

"Yeah!" The cub exclaimed. "I've been taking real good care of her! I was teaching her how to walk and Rafiki gives her juice from a fruit or berry or something so she gets enough to eat and—"

"Wait." Nala interrupted. "Doesn't Zira feed her?"

"No. She only feeds Kovu, she and dad don't care about Tani."

The three lionesses shared a glance.

"No!" Nuka suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs. "They don't care about me. They _hate _Vitani!"

"I'm sure that's not true." Nala tried to soothe the frantic cub.

"Yes it is. You don't know. You don't know what they did."

"What did they do, Nuka?"

The cub hesitated; worry brewing in his red eyes. "You can trust us." Sarabi assured him.

He was silent for a few more minutes before admitting quietly, "My dad said I couldn't take care of Vitani anymore." He gave a sniffle, as though he was trying to hold back tears, and looked at his sister through sad eyes.

* * *

-Flashback-

Nuka bounded around into the main cave, his mind already on the meal he was going to have. He hoped it wasn't hyena again. He didn't understand how anyone could eat it; it tasted like month old carrion basted with gazelle pies. He preferred even the tough, dry, gamey meat of crocodiles over hyena—alive _or _dead. The young Prince was so consumed with his thoughts that he didn't see his dad until he walked head first into the reddish-brown forelimb of the larger lion. Upon noticing Scar, he gave a toothy grin. "Hey, dad."

"Hello, Nuka. It's good you're here; I wanted to speak with you. The sooner the better."

Nuka's eyes sparkled with unbridled joy and his grin grew into a large almost overwhelming smile. "Really? Great! What did you want to talk about?" The red-eyed cub asked excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Well, first of all stop that incessant jumping; it's giving me a splitting headache. Secondly, it's time you detached yourself from that useless furball you've been spending all you're time with."

The cub's immediately stopped jumping and his ecstatic grin morphed into one of confusion and surprise. "But dad why? She isn't bothering anyone. And I have to be there for her, don't I? I mean, she's my sister, I—I gotta look out for her."

"No Nuka, you don't. Don't waste anymore of your time on that mewling sack of fur and bones. When I disowned her, I severed all ties between her and us. And while your devotion to family is…admirable if not stupid, you must realize that she is not a part of this family."

"But dad—"

"Nuka…do this for me. For your old man, hmm? Forget about the cub. If you feel the need to initiate a sibling relationship, do so with your brother." Green eyes bore down into red ones and Scar could tell that while his son's desire to appease him was strong, the responsibility—dare he say _connection_ he felt with that hyena's appetizer was just as if not even stronger. Time to up the ante. "Alright boy, I'll make you a deal. If you don't sever your attachment with the brat, then I will be forced to do so for you. And that could get," he held up a claw in a hook fashion as she sun glinted off it, "messy."

Nuka gulped, seeing his father in a different light for the first time. He weighed his options while Scar waited impatiently for his answer. Hesitantly he asked, "If I stop hanging around Vitani, you won't hurt her?"

"I promise." Scar raised his right paw, though the gestured seemed more sarcastic than serious.

"And the hyenas won't hurt her?"

"That's up to them. That _thing _isn't my daughter. I don't have to nor will I protect her if those slobbering morons decide she would make a good snack."

Nuka thought for a minute. "Would you mind if I got someone else to take care of her?"

"As long as no one with my blood coursing through their veins gets involved, I couldn't honestly care less _what _happens to her."

"Then…we have a deal." Nuka said reluctantly. Forgetting all about his hunger, he turned and ran from the cave.

-End of Flashback-

"Nuka, that's awful." Sarafina gasped.

"I know. B-but there's nothing I can do about it. I—I didn't want dad to hurt her!" He was openly sobbing now and looking down right miserable. In his young mind he had failed to do as he promised, he had failed to protect Vitani. The infant cub, unknowing she was the object of Nuka's pain, pushed herself to her paws with determination and toddled over to the reddish-grey pelted lion. She gave him a sweet smile and rubbed her small head against his forelimb. Her features turned to surprise when his sobbing became louder and he embraced her in his front two paws. "I'm sorry sis. I knew it couldn't last forever but I just—I hoped…I hope…"

Vitani tilted her head in confusion. He wasn't making sense. Why was he so upset? Sighing, the female cub resolved to stay there for as long as he needed her, after all that's what he always did for her.

Nala, Sarafina, and Sarabi collectively looked at the two cubs sleeping peacefully in the entryway to the cave. Poor Nuka had been devastated, and after hearing about what Scar forced him to do, it was no wonder. He was so distraught and afraid for his sister that he cried until he couldn't cry anymore and his young body had collapsed from stress and exhaustion. Vitani had started to fall asleep as soon as Nuka's sobs began to tamper off, needing as much sleep as she could get but unwilling to go to sleep completely until she knew her brother was going to be ok. For their part, the older lionesses couldn't find it in their hearts to wake them especially since they both had such an awful day and the Pride-sisters knew it was only going to get worse from here for them both.

"One of the lionesses caught sight of a crocodile down at the far end of the river earlier today. Maybe if we get the girls together, we can finally get something decent to eat." Nala suggested as the three lionesses lay quietly watching over the cubs.

"Maybe, but we'd have to be careful. Hunting crocs aren't exactly like hunting rabbits. And if Scar, Zira, or the hyenas found out, we'd be dead last in the pecking order of who gets what." Sarafina reminded her daughter.

"I thought about that. If we tell Scar we caught sight of a yearling antelope somewhere along the Southwestern border, it could distract everyone long enough for us to catch that croc. But we'd have to be sure to send some of the lionesses with them so they don't get suspicious and take care not to bring any undue attention to ourselves before we get the our meal. The hunting party can eat their fill on site and we can cut the rest up and sneak it to the others when they get back."

Before Sarafina could reply to her daughter's scheme, Sarabi called their attention. "We seem to have an unexpected visitor." At that statement both Nala and Sarafina sniffed the air in time to catch the scent before the wind changed direction. It was the scent of another lioness, but not one of the most favorable among the Pride. Sure enough, seconds later the Queen appeared just outside the cavern. "Zira." Sarabi greeted politely.

"That's Queen Zira to you, Sarabi." Zira sneered.

"I suppose you've come for Nuka." Nala said, finding it difficult to keep her voice civil. It was no secret that a dark and powerful hatred brewed between Scar's mate and Simba's betrothed. From the moment the two met, when Nala stood up against her mother's ill treatment at Scar's paw, they had become rivals and enemies. And there was no sign of that changing in the near future.

Zira glanced down at her sleeping son for a moment, but more so at the cub curled up against him. "I'm here to do what those pathetic idiotic hyenas and that senile brainless ape could not do. I'm here to kill that inept, insignificant excuse of a life." Zira spoke as though she was merely talking about the weather instead of killing the very cub she herself gave birth to. But before she could make a single move toward Vitani, a chorus of snarls sprung from the throats of the three lionesses. "Cute," Zira derided. "But ineffective." She effortlessly removed Vitani from Nuka's side without awakening either cub. "You see I gave birth to this cub, which means it is mine to do with as I please and what pleases Scar pleases me. So, say goodbye to this mouse and don't forget to actually catch something on your hunt tonight. I tire of rotting hyena flesh."

"Zira!" Nala shouted at the top of her lungs. Before anyone else could react, she leaped over Nuka and plowed into the sadistic Queen. Vitani, now very much awake, flew from Zira's jaws and landed painfully on the ground a couple of feet away. As Zira and Nala wrestled and clawed and bit at one another, Sarabi darted out and came back in just as fast, with Vitani hanging from her mouth. The cub squirmed loose and went to where Nuka was miraculously still asleep. She half hid behind her brother's sleeping form, peering over his side at the fight taking place.

Zira and Nala were a tangle of dark grey and tawny colors as they both tried to get the upper hand. Zira's claws slashed Nala's shoulder, causing the younger lioness to roar in pain. Nala's blue eyes narrowed and she lunged at Zira, her teeth chomping down on the nearest available body part—her ear. Zira snatched her head away, losing a chunk of her right ear in the process. Glaring murderously at Nala, Zira leaped on her back and brought her down much like she would fell a gazelle or zebra. Zira's sharp pristine fangs were just about to close around Nala's neck and end her existence, when Nala twisted her forelimb and cut deeply into the soft belly of her aggressor. By instinct Zira sought to get away from the pain and so jumped off Nala, freeing her captive. Zira and Nala were both breathing heavily. Between the two of them they'd lost enough blood to soak the entire battlefield. "Fine!" Zira growled, filled with rage, but unable to do anything more for the moment. "You want her alive so bad? You take her!" And with that Zira turned and stalked away, seething with utter contempt for the cub and white-hot hatred for the lioness that fought in her defense.

* * *

Nala stumbled in the cave, wounded and exhausted. Nuka, who had awoken when he heard Zira's irate exclamation, grabbed Vitani and shuffled back to allow Nala room to enter. An expression of horror was on his face, one he knew Sarafina and Sarabi shared. A moment of silence elapsed where they could only stare at the bleeding mangled body of their friend and Pride-sister, before Sarabi took charge of the situation as she was so apt to do. "We need to get Rafiki."

"Dere is no need. Rafiki is here." A friendly voice said as he ambled in the cave to where Nala lay sprawled, breathing heavily. "Rafiki had a feeling his searvices would be reequired and was already at Pride Rock when he heard de fight." The healer began to spread a thick paste from an open shell he'd brought with him on Nala's wounds, causing her to hiss in discomfort. After that was done he moved to wrapping the wounds with large leaves he brought from his tree. "De wounds should heal quickly," he told the lionesses, "but you will ave to reapply de medicine in de morning and at night for de next few days."

"We will thank you." Sarafina said, relieved that her only daughter was going to be ok.

"Is no problem." He turned to Nuka. "It is getting late, young Prince." He pointed to the low sun. "You should be getting home."

"But what about Tani? I still haven't found someone to look after her." Nuka glanced down at her little sister worriedly.

"Yes, you have." Nala drew their attention by speaking again.

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't talk. Save your strength."

Nala rolled her eyes. "It's a few scratches, mom. The shoulder wound's the worst of it." Though, she had to pause to regain her breath after saying that, causing Sarafina to shoot her an exasperated _'I told you so'_ look. "As I was saying," Nala continued, ignoring her mother's reproaching gaze. "You do have someone to care for Vitani. You all heard Zira; she abandoned the cub to my care."

"I think that will be a substantial improvement." Sarabi muttered.

"So it's alright with all of you if I adopt her?" Nala asked.

"Of course." Sarafina nodded.

"We'll help you any way we can." Sarabi promised.

"Well, Nuka, how about it?"

He looked gazed at his sister again, and then turned to look at the lionesses. Vitani would be safer when them. Even if Scar wasn't threatening her life anymore, they could provide better for her than he could. If he really wanted to be a good brother, he had to give Vitani her best chance. Even if it wasn't with him. Closing his eyes to push down the tears that were starting to gather there, he heaved a great sigh. He brought Vitani over to Nala, looking at her with grave seriousness. "I trust you to look out for her."

"I will." Nala spoke with equal sincerity. "I promise; Vitani is safe with us."

Nuka nodded and gave his sister one last loving nuzzle before leaving the den, surrendering relation to Vitani just as his father wanted. Vitani looked where Nuka had left sadly. He was leaving her again? A small whimper escaped her mouth. Nala gazed understandingly down at her, and began to sing in hopes it would soothe the young lioness who had been through so much already, and sadly was still going through it.

_Come stop your crying; it will be all right. Just take my paw, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here don't you cry. For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here don't you cry._

Vitani looked up at the lioness that held her. The sound coming from her mouth was kind and soothing. It made her relax and forget her sadness and confusion and fear. It made her happy.

_Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say, you'll be here in my heart, always._

Nala thought of Scar, who flippantly disowned Vitani for his own selfish, bigoted reasons. And Zira, who tried to kill her because it was what Scar wanted, never mind the fact that she gave birth to her. It disgusted the tawny lioness.

_Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. I know we're different but, deep inside us we're not that different at all._ _Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say, you'll be here in my heart, always._

From this day forward, she would raise Vitani as her own. Vitani was a good cub; she didn't deserve such selfish corrupted parents. If they didn't want her that was fine, Nala always wanted a cub. She always thought she'd be older when she had one, but that didn't matter anymore. Vitani needed her, and she needed Vitani.

_Don't listen to them cause what do they know? We need each other to have, to hold. They'll see in time, I know. When destiny calls you, you must be strong. I may not be with you but you've got to hold on. They'll see in time, I know. We'll show them together. Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say, you'll be here in my heart, always._

Vitani was asleep in Nala's paws. She knew she was safe. She didn't know how she knew, especially since her world was anything but safe, but she was. Nala wouldn't hurt her. Something told her the older lioness would do everything within her power to protect and care for her; she didn't have to worry.

_I'll be with you; I'll be there for you always, always, and always. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder and I'll be there always._

Nala finished her song as the last of the sun's golden rays sunk behind the horizon. She snuggled Vitani close to her as Sarafina and Sarabi came to lie down beside them. Somehow, she got the feeling that life was going to get a lot better.

* * *

**Sorry about the sucky showdown with Zira and Nala. I'm not too good with fight scenes. And about the song—spur of the moment deal. I thought about it as I was writing the ending and once I thought about it I couldn't talk myself out of it. **

**Mail time! To Qoheleth: Ok, sure, get technical. Thanks for the info though. They just looked like they'd be in the general dog family to me.**

**AquitarStar: Ah, my favorite client. Ok, my only client. Again with those technicalities! I'm glad I met your expectations. Yeah, I figure Nuka could be a pretty good brother if given the chance, so I gave to him. And then took it away in the next chapter. I'm a real nice person, can't you tell?**

**The-mysterious-other: We write to serve at Insanity Inc. I'm glad you enjoy the story so far. **

**Kate: Does this count as things turning out better? Don't worry this better gets even better. Or worse. Let's just split the difference and call it awesome. No? No one? Fine! **

**One thing about me is I do Genius Point Trivia Challenges. Which is super fancy way of me saying I ask questions over things that happened in prior chapters or things you can look up to find out or already know, that links in someway to my story because I have nothing better to do. See why I call it Genius Point Trivia Challenges? It sounds cooler. So for the first time ever in this story, I'll start you guys off easy. What movie—also by Disney—did "You'll be in My Heart" appear in? Get the answer right and you get 100 Genius Points—Gp. Get the answer wrong and you get whacked over the head with a mallet. No, don't worry it's rubber. *Screen fades to black* Come back, it only takes a second. What are you scared of, you're just getting hit on the head with a sledge hammer. Hey. Hey! Come back! **


	3. Unexplored Territory

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the franchise, characters, movies, video games, Broadway productions, or plushies of The Lion King.

* * *

Chapter 3: Unexplored Territory—A Suspicious Encounter

All was silent throughout the Shadowlands. The morning was gradually approaching, not seeming to be in a great hurry to bring forth a new day for the inhabitance of the all but barren, desolate land. Still the sun, while not yet visible over the horizon, was beginning to shed some light—not that it did much for the dreary, ominous, gloomy features of the once proud and majestic Pride Lands. And yet as the sky started to change from dark navy to brilliant orange to stunning pink and finally luminous blue, one creature was awake to watch the dawn of a new day. Sitting in the mouth of her family's home, a three month old lioness cub greeted the sun with a dazzling smile of her own.

Her pelt was tan in coloration with a slight tint of orange to it. She had a grey-cream stomach, muzzle, and paws and a pink nose. But it was her face that was truly a unique beauty. Dark eyeshades highlighted beady eclectic blue irises that seemed to shine with a light so pure and bright it rivaled the sun itself. Her fur, particularly her facial fur, was far shaggier than any other lioness. So fluffy was she that it gave way to downward pointing cheeks and a tuft of fur on her head so long it went down half-way between her eyes. She curled her tail around her legs, letting the moderately brown tuft on the end tickle her from time to time as she remained utterly captivated by the exquisite sunrise. She was so enchanted by its beauty that she didn't hear one member of her family approach her from behind. A shadow fell over her, and she looked up into the warm smile of the Pride's only other blue-eyed lioness.

"Mom," she giggled. "Did you get up to see the sunrise too?"

Nala sat by her surrogate daughter. "I woke up and saw you sitting out here. Do you do this every morning? Sit here and watch the sunrise?"

"Yeah. Me and Nuka used to do it sometimes, back when he was still my friend. We did a lot of things together. Why doesn't he like me anymore, mom?"

Nala hesitated. Vitani's memories of her early life were hazy at best. She only remembered Nuka because he was the most prominent figure in her life at that age but she had no idea of her relation to him, their birth parents, or the youngest cub, Kovu. Sarabi, Sarafina, and Nala all agreed it was better that way, for multiple reasons. Vitani was too young to deal with the reality of her parents being Scar and Zira, or that they hated her and even tried to kill her. And though they both were unkind to her when they saw her, they allowed her to live since she didn't think she was related to them. Besides, by this point, Vitani had seen more than most cubs and knew how awful Scar, Zira and the hyenas treated the Pride-sisters. She hated them as they hated her. So, it was better for everyone involved if Vitani were older when she discovered her relation to the tyrant couple. "Oh, sweetheart it's very complicated. But remember, no matter how he might act toward you now, he loves you and would give anything in the world for your safety."

"It doesn't seem like it." Vitani disagreed.

"Most things aren't as they seem. Sometimes you've got to look behind the cloud to see the sun."

"Careful mom, you're starting to sound like Rafiki."

Nala raised an eyebrow. "I am, am I?" Without warning she turned Vitani belly-side up and began tickling her mercilessly. Gleeful laughter rang out across the land as Vitani was subjected to one of the most diabolical forms of torture. "Take it back?" Nala asked as Vitani started gasping for breath.

"Never!" The puckish young cub managed to shout defiantly before Nala shrugged and began the torment once again. The laughter woke Sarafina and Sarabi from their sleep. The two older lionesses smiled as they watched the scene fold out before them. Vitani was the first to notice their audience and called desperately through alternating bouts of laughter and wheezing. "Grandma ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha Sarabi! Grandma hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah Sarafina! Help!"

"Hmm, what do you think Grandma ah-ha-ha, should we help?"

Sarabi gave a bright and devious smile. "Of course." Vitani's eyes widened as her surrogate grandmothers joined Nala's side in tickling her persistently. Golden tones of laughter continued to blanket the land as a thin film of water rose in the eyes of its source. Vitani's lungs began burning and she felt as if she would spontaneously explode if her guardians didn't cease soon.

"Ok!" Vitani screamed through her laughing spell; trying to conserve her precious air. "Ok! I—I'm sorry…stop…please!" Nala smiled and relented, as did Sarabi and Sarafina. Vitani glared at her mother indignantly as she tried to slow her rapid panting. "I'll get you for that." She promised when she regained the ability to breathe normally. "I'll get you all back for that."

"We'll see." Nala chuckled. Before Vitani could come up with a witty reply, a loud roar sounded from the front of Pride Rock that called all the able lionesses to join the hunting party. "We have to go, sweetheart, but we should be back by the time the sun's at the highest point in the sky."

Vitani looked at the fire ball barely hanging over the distance. "That long?"

"Food's getting even harder to find with each passing day. We have to search longer to find it." Sarafina explained.

"Now promise us, little one, that you won't leave the cave without a lioness with you. It's very dangerous out there."

"I know, Grandma Sarabi. I won't." The young lioness took turns nuzzling each of her guardians farewell and watched from the safety of the rocky burrow as the three adult lionesses headed out to meet the rest of the hunting party. Vitani wasn't completely unused to these situations. Whenever King Scar ordered the hunting party out to look for food, she was usually left in the cave where it was safer. On very rare occasions, either one of her grandmothers or her mother was allowed to stay her, but that happened about as often as the hunting party caught fresh kill. Vitani went back into the cave when she saw some of the hyenas walking around down in the plains. She wasn't left unguarded amidst the vast numbers of smelly, flea-ridden, dung beetles; there were a few older lionesses who were unable to hunt due to injuries or age that would probably be here in a few minutes.

Most of the lionesses in the Pride liked the young cub, but some of them—the ones that were most strongly devoted to Scar and Zira, hated her. She never did anything to them, but they hated her anyway. And it wasn't just her they disliked, it was anyone who wasn't absolutely, undyingly loyal to the King and Queen. Anyone who blamed Scar for the current state of the kingdom, like Vitani's family and a lot of the Pride-sisters did, was treated with malice and contempt from the loyalists. Not that that mattered much to the other lionesses, they tended to hate the loyalists just as much as they did the King and Queen.

Vitani sighed. More than anything she wished the world she lived in was like it used to be, in the stories her mother told her. Nala, Sarafina and Sarabi would take turns telling the young cub stories of when they were young and the land was lush and green and beautiful. When food and crystal clear water was abundant and life was joyous and blissful. Sometimes she would close her eyes and imagine. She would pretend the ground was no longer cracked and dry, but covered with a thousand grasses; each blade a tall pale sea green that could easily conceal a cub from view. She would make believe the hyenas were chased away for good and strange vegan creatures she'd heard of but never seen for herself took their place. She would fantasize about a large waterhole filled to the brim with clear cool water and rushing rivers, clean and crocodile free, carved their way across the land.

And at night, when she was sleeping, she'd dream of the one who would save them all. He had brownish-gold fur, and a thick rich red mane. He had a cream colored muzzle, paws, and belly, a pink nose, and large wide red eyes. And he was muscular and robust, much more so than King Scar. His voice wasn't harsh and sarcastic like Scar's either, but kind and playful with a hint of depth to it. It, like her mother's soft, caring voice made her feel safe and loved. And in her dreams he would save them. He'd overthrow Scar and water would fall from the sky and the grass would grow. He'd chase away the hyenas and the herds would return. And when he roared, he would become King and lead the Pride into a time of peace and prosperity.

The young cub was soon pulled out of her fantasies by the arrival of an elderly lioness by the name of Aiysa. Aiysa was light tan in color with light grey colors accenting her muzzle, stomach, and paws. She had wide orange eyes, a light pink nose, light eyeshades, gentle facial features, and her build was similar to that of Sarabi. Aiysa was a close friend of Sarabi and Sarafina and was often cub-sitter to Vitani as her age prevented her from joining the younger lionesses on hunts. "Hello Tani." She greeted as she lay down on the smooth cool stone.

"Hey, Aiysa. What are we going to do today?"

"_We're _not going to do anything. I know how bored you get in here sometimes, so I brought a friend by for you to play with." Vitani frowned in confusion, but that perplexity was instantly lifted when a slightly muscular auburn cub with emerald green eyes and a dark tuft of fur on his head, elbows, and tail entered the den.

"Kovu!" Vitani immediately rushed over to her favorite playmate. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, sorry, I just thought it'd be fun to hang out with you. If you don't want me here, I can leave." Kovu said with mock sadness.

Vitani rolled her eyes. "That's not what I mean, genius. I'm talking about how you're never allowed to go anywhere without Nuka or one of those dung beetles with you, and yet you're here and they're not."

The male cub smiled. "Nuka ditched me with dad's three main dung beetles. I snuck off when they started fighting and no one saw me sneak over here, except for Aiysa. But luckily she didn't tell anyone.

"Right. Daddy dearest wouldn't like it if his heir was seen mingling with the commoners." Vitani teased.

"Shut up." Kovu growled.

"You shut up." They began wrestling and play fighting under Aiysa's watchful gaze.

The cubs smirked as their appointed guardian snored lightly. It had taken a bit longer than they had planned, but eventually Aiysa's age had gotten the best of her and she had fallen into a light rest. "I told you it would work." Vitani whispered as she and Kovu ran down from Pride Rock and out into the Shadowlands.

"Please, that was _my _idea to begin with."

"Yeah, only I thought of it, worked out all the details, and organized so it went down without a hitch. But other than that it was _definitely _your idea."

"Careful, Tani, your jealousy's showing."

"Me, jealous? Of you? I've heard of advanced narcissism, but aren't you a little young to be a full fledged egomaniac?" Vitani paused as she seemed to reconsider. "But then again, like father like son I suppose."

"Egomaniac this!" Kovu growled semi-playfully as he pounced and tackled Vitani to the ground. They rolled over one another and far away from the sight of Pride Rock until finally, Kovu pinned Vitani with a thud. "Heh, pinned ya!" The crown Prince shouted with pride.

"Lucky shot, that's all." Vitani growled from under her friend's paws. Kovu only continued to smirk as he leaped off Vitani and held out a paw to help her to her feet. The blue-eyed cub accepted it grudgingly, but soon felt some of her agitation fade away once she got a good look at their surroundings. "Kovu." The excited tone of her voice drew the younger cub's attention and he soon found out why she was so eager.

"Woah."

"Have you ever been here before?" Vitani wondered, her blue eyes sparkling at the concept of unexplored territory and exciting adventure.

"No, you?"

"No."

"Awesome!" They chanted together. The two cubs stood side by side overlooking a great, desolate, and eerie gorge that tore the land in two. As they moved closer to the edge, Kovu open his mouth to suggest something, but before he could a low rumbling reached his ears. The ground underneath them shifted and crumbled, sending both cubs rolling down the side of the gorge. As the dust cleared, both cubs coughed and shakily got to their feet.

"You ok?" Kovu asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Fine." He looked around the deathtrap. Suddenly it looked a lot more menacing than before. "H—how are gonna get out of here?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Aisya woke from her nap feeling restful and rejuvenated. That was until she noticed the silence and complete absence of her two young charges. Fear grabbed her heart like an icy fist. She rose and gazed far out into the Shadowlands. Hyenas were everywhere, and while Kovu, as the King's son, was safe from the savages, Vitani was not. And even if she was, there were a thousand other things that could go wrong, a thousand other dangers the cubs could find themselves in. Aisya knew she had to find them, and she had to hurry.

* * *

Kovu's small claws gripped tightly onto the side of the gorge. His hind legs tried to push his body further up the wall of rock, but he couldn't find traction and only slid back down the cliff, leaving thin claw marks behind him. He landed on the ground with an audible "oof", and shook the dirt from his dark fur. Vitani came up beside him.

"Kovu, I don't think this working."

"It will!" The younger cub insisted. "We just have to find a place that's not so steep, that all." He assured his companion as he trotted farther down the canyon to find such a place. Vitani only sighed and followed the persistent cub. After five other attempts to scale the high wall were met with the same results, Vitani approached Kovu again.

"Face it Kovu, there's no way you can climb up the side. You're just too small."

"I am not!" The dark-furred cub shouted indignantly. "Anyway you don't have room to talk. It's _your _fault we're stuck down here in the first place! If you hadn't come up with that stupid plan—"

"Oh, so now it's my plan?" Vitani challenged, feeling her own frustration at the situation bubble up to the surface. "I thought _you _were the genius that came up with the idea of sneaking away from Pride Rock, that's what you said remember. Anyway, it wasn't my idea to come here!"

"You're saying it's my fault?"

"Sounds about right to me!"

In his anger, Kovu growled and tackled her to the ground, his face twisted in what resembled bona-fide rage. But Vitani knew better. Even as her body was getting pressed harshly against the rough ground, she saw the fear echoing in the depths of her friend's emerald green irises. "You don't get it!" He shouted, but instead of anger it sounded to Vitani like he was trying to hold back tears. "Something bad happened here, Tani, I can feel it. I feel it in my bones. I feel it in the air I breathe. Every step I take, I feel it vibrating in the ground beneath my paws. Something _terrible _happened here."

Now that he mentioned it, that he made her aware of it, Vitani could sense it too. It was impossible to overlook once her attention had been brought to it. This place reeked of death. It reeked of darkness and of betrayal and of innocent bloodshed. A good, worthy life had perished in this chasm long before it was time. Kovu stepped off Vitani and walked a short distance away, his head weighed down low and his tail flicking about with worry and fear. When he spoke, his voice was weak, broken, and afraid. "What if we never get out of here, Tani? What if we die here?"

Vitani padded over to Kovu. "That won't happen. Somebody's got to be looking for us by now."

* * *

"NUKA!" The infuriated voice of King Scar reverberated far across the land. Trapped in the main den, the grey-pelted cub cowered at his father's anger and backed up hastily in a pitiful attempt at escape. All he managed to do was back himself into a corner—literally. He looked up at his mother for help, but Zira glared harshly down at him with disdain, her muzzle twisted in an equally irate scowl. Nuka scrunched himself down even further, trying to make himself invisible to his parent's livid eyes. He shuddered uncontrollably as fear gripped him tight. "Y-y-yes, Dad?"

"Where's Kovu?" The elder lion shouted, every fiber of his being trembling with thinly suppressed rage. "You were supposed to be watching him!"

"Um….yeah about that…well Shenzi had this idea to go visit the Elephant Graveyard and…Kovu didn't want to go anyway…so we just left without him?"

Scar voiced his growing anger with a clamorous roar, earning a terrified gasp from his son. The next thing the scrawny cub knew he was knocked head over heels by a rough blow to his shoulder. As he lay slumped on the stone floor, he was aware of a sharp stinging sensation and the feeling of blood running down his already mangy coat. He looked blearily up to see his parents leaving the den. No doubt to broadcast the news that clumsy Nuka had lost the wondrous Kovu. _They treat him like he can walk on water. _Nuka thought sadly to himself as he licked the blood from his shallow, yet painful wound. _What's so great about Kovu anyway? He gets lost and it's the apocalypse; I get lost and they don't even notice…or they yell at me for being stupid and a poor example for my brother. Stupid Kovu! I wish he was never around…I wish Vitani was allowed to be my sister instead. I miss her so much…_

While Nuka tortured himself with sorrowful thoughts and bittersweet memories of his short time with Vitani, Scar called the attention of the inhabitance of Pride Rock with a powerful roar. "Everyone! Kovu is missing! My idiotic son, Nuka, allowed him to wander off instead of watching him as he should've been."

Nearby, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed snickered relentlessly at the news. "Ooh, Nuka's busted." Shenzi barked out in between peels of laughter.

"Yeah, Scar's probably gonna kill him. Hey when that happens do ya think Scar'll let us eat him? Ya know the hunting party ain't gonna find anything today." Banzai added, hopeful at the prospect of a meal. Ed nodded his head enthusiastically, his tongue sticking partway out between his teeth and a dazed look on his face as he too imagined being able to get some real meat between his teeth again. Meat that didn't come from the deceased bodies of their fellow hyenas.

"On the contrary, if Kovu isn't found you three will get to journey to the Elephant Graveyard again. This time for a permanent rest." The smooth voice of Scar answered to them as the lion himself approached them, having overheard their conversation. His bright green eyes held a knowing gleam as they bore into the frightened spheres belonging to the hyenas. Shenzi and Banzai gulped nervously, realizing Scar knew they had convinced Nuka to journey with them to the Elephant Graveyard and so blamed them for Kovu's disappearance as well. Ed just continued to stare into nothingness and fantasize about eating Nuka, unaware that dream had already been quashed.

"Yeah, sure, no problem boss." Banzai rambled.

"We'll find him." Shenzi's voice was a tad more controlled than her associate's, but still harbored traces of fear over what Scar would do if they failed.

"See that you do." Turning his attention back to the waiting masses of hyena, and to a far less extent lion, he announced, "That goes for all of you! If Kovu is not found by sundown the consequences will be most severe!" As lion and hyena separated into groups (though each stuck with their own kind) and went out to find the missing cub, Zira approached her fuming mate. "The hunting party approaches. Go out and tell them what has happened. We will need every able body if we are to find Kovu. Go!"

With a curt nod, Zira flew down the stone steps and out into the distance where a good portion of the Pride was making their way to Pride Rock, unaware of what had occurred in their absence.

* * *

Vitani and Kovu were making their way down the path of the gorge, having deduced they wouldn't be able to climb up the sides. That didn't change their fear of what had happened in the ravine, nor soothe their desire to escape that horrible place and never set paw in it again. They were so focused on getting out, they weren't aware of a pair of beady scarlet eyes that glowed in the shadow of a rock as they watched the two cubs. A low growl hummed in the back of the throat of the creature that owned the eyes. The cubs hurried pass the rock en route to the exit, and as they passed the creature leaped out into the light and landed on Kovu, bringing the dark auburn cub to the ground.

Vitani was able to catch glimpses of the Prince's assailant as he and it rolled around on the rocky soil. She was able to discern that it was a lion cub, like them, and had dull slate-grey fur with an even duller grey marking the stomach, paws, and muzzle. She could also tell by the lack of pointed cheek fur and mane fur that it was a female as well. But other than that there wasn't much else she could tell about the cub; the battle raging before her was intense and the attacker was fast on her paws. She didn't seem shy about using her claws either, as they were unsheathed and she was currently swiping at Kovu with them. Thankfully he somehow managed to keep the scarlet-eyed cub from connecting with his skin, though she did clip his fur several times.

Finally, she knocked him to the ground and stood over him. Three of her paws rested on the ground around Kovu, the fourth was pressed tightly against his throat. Her claws were starting to tear pass his fur and into his skin. Kovu looked into the glowing eyes of his attacker with fear as he struggled to breathe. Vitani, who had climbed the rock to get a better a view of the fight, now pounced and crashed into the violent lioness cub. The sudden collision took the strange lioness by surprise and sent her flying off of Kovu. The lion cub got to his feet and he and Vitani approached their tormentor cautiously. The lioness cub pulled herself into a defensive standing position and growled at the pair. "It's ok. We're not going to hurt you." Kovu tried to reason with her. Vitani, on the other paw, was shocked at his friend's promise.

"We're not?! She tried to hurt us. She tried to kill you!"

"Calm down Tani."

"You should listen to your girlfriend!" The dull-colored cub spat.

Kovu blushed. "She's not…we're just friends."

"Really? That's what you focus on in this situation? Not the crazy trespasser trying to kill us?"

"Who are you calling trespasser?" The cub snarled.

"You, moron. You're not part of our Pride; you're not supposed to be here, so that makes you a trespasser."

"Really? Well, the way I see it, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."

Before Vitani could ask her what in the Shadowlands she meant by that, two other lionesses surrounded the cubs. They both had dull charcoal grey pelts, extended claws, elongated snouts, dark eye shades, and lanky muscular forms. The adult lioness also had dull beady orange eyes, a black angular nose similar to the cub's short snout, and a light brown tail tuft. The younger lioness, who looked about Nuka's age, had an angular pink nose, triangle-shaped eyes with wide red irises, and a dark brown tail tuft. "What do have here, Mawi?"

"Some new friends, mom." Mawi smirked. There was something unsettling about the way she said "friends". "I think they're lost." Her smirk grew as Vitani's eyes widened. They hadn't said _anything _about being lost. At least, not to her. How long had she been watching them before she attacked?

"Oh, you poor babies." Mawi's mother purred. "I'm sure your parents must be worried sick. I know. My daughters and I will help you get back to where you belong. By the way, what are your names?"

"I'm Kovu, Crown Prince of the Shadowlands." The auburn cub said with pride.

"My, Crown Prince. Then you're lucky we happened upon you when we did. It's not safe for a young cub so far away from home. _Especially _for the Crown Prince."

Vitani's eyes narrowed as she glared suspiciously at Mawi. "Believe me, we know."

"Well, then what are waiting for? Let's get you two home." The adult lioness smiled amiably and began leading the way out of the gorge. Her daughters and Kovu followed after immediately. Vitani stared after them. She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right with those three, no matter how nice the mom acted. And she certainly didn't trust that Mawi character; not after she nearly maimed Kovu. Still, she admitted as she warily trekked after them, she didn't have much choice but to follow.

* * *

**Alright everyone, there it is. Yeah, I know it took me almost three weeks. What can I say? School's been a major infringement on my free time, and I thank you all for waiting as patiently as you did. **

**Unknown: Glad you like it and Nala is nice, isn't she?**

**AquitarStar: Yeah, Vitani really is lucky to have so many people—er, lions that care about her. Makes me wish I had that many people who cared about me. *Cue offstage fake bawling***

**Ok guys, that it for now. I apologize again for the heartbreakingly long wait. Blame the BOE. Sayonara. **


	4. The New Arrivals

Disclaimer: I own nothing except an eye twitch. Anyone want to buy an eye twitch?

* * *

Chapter 4: The New Arrivals—Friends or Enemies?

"Alright, say goodbye to the ghastly gorge, next stop Pride Rock." The charcoal grey adult lioness announced.

"Finally!" Kovu cheered. Vitani simply kept an open eye out. The sun was starting to set. Already it was getting darker and colder, and she still didn't trust Mawi and her family not to pull a fast one on her and Kovu. Speaking of Mawi, the distrusted lioness was walking beside her sister, ahead of the cubs. She was still smirking darkly, for her plan was nearly complete and she was confident it would work. It had to.

All of a sudden a light tan, elderly lioness charged Mawi's mother and tackled her to the ground. The lioness was none other than Aiysa, who roared loudly as she stood over the lioness she perceived to be a danger to Vitani and Kovu. "Aiysa, no." Kovu called. "She wasn't hurting us!" Before the elderly lioness could reply, the hunting party, along with a plethora of hyenas had appeared on the scene. The roar had done its job.

"Vitani!" Nala immediately rushed over to the lioness cub and began checking her over for injuries, questioning and scolding her all the while. "Are you alright? We were so worried. You shouldn't have left the cave; you could've been killed! I thought you knew better, Vitani." Vitani nuzzled her mother in hopes of conveying she was ok and hadn't been injured.

Mawi saw the pathetic exchange and rolled her eyes. She would've gladly delivered some scathing remark, if it hadn't of been for the crowds of lionesses and oddly enough, hyena. Ok, this wasn't part of the plan so…time to improvise. "Could you please get off of my mommy now, miss?" She asked the old coot still on top of her mother. Normally, the adult lioness would have no problem with slaughtering this old-timer quickly and easily, but what with the sheer amount of carnivores surrounding them, Mawi and her mother both knew they were out numbered. They had to play from a different, more subtle angle. "Please?" She squeaked, seeing the lioness still hadn't moved. "She wasn't going to hurt anyone, honest. We were just helping these nice cubs get home."

"That's right!" Kovu was quick to back her up. "Me and Tani fell in the gorge and couldn't get out and then they came along and took us back here." _Funny,_ Vitani thought at Kovu, _I seem to remember Mawi pinning you to the ground and trying to kill you before doing a complete 180 and deciding to help us. _As she opened her mouth to voice these thoughts, one of the creepier, more violent lionesses that served Scar loyally spoke up.

"Why don't we take poor Kovu home, and then let King Scar decide what to do with this lioness and her cubs?" Shouts of agreement came from the mouths of the loyalists, and Aiysa sighed and stepped off of Mawi's mother.

When the Pride returned to Pride Rock, Scar and Zira were waiting impatiently at its promontory. "Well?" Scar's voice boomed angrily. "Where is my son?"

"I'm here dad!" Kovu called, his voice sounding like the squeak of a mouse compared to his father's enraged rumble. He climbed up Pride Rock to his mother's side and nuzzled her forelimb warmly. Zira remained untouched by this display of affection and proceeded to look him over for injuries, subsequently noticing the patches of uneven fur from where Mawi's claws had clipped Kovu.

"How this happen?" She hissed angrily as her piercing red eyes bore into her son's lively green ones. She lightly cuffed the side of his face where a patch of fur was missing. "Who did this to you?" Even as she asked the question her gaze fell on Vitani wanting, as usual, any excuse to harm the cub. Nala, Sarabi, and Sarafina noticed this and all moved protectively around the young lioness, shielding her from all sides.

"It wasn't my daughter." Nala spoke stiffly, addressing the venomous Queen.

"Who was it then?" Zira challenged the tawny huntress. "Who dared harm my son, the Crown Prince of Shadowlands?"

"It wasn't Tani!" Kovu quickly spoke up, not wanting his best friend to get blamed for something she didn't even do.

Zira turned back to her son, her eyes cold and unforgiving. "Who was it then? Tell me."

Kovu bit his lip. If he told Zira about Mawi, then who knew what his parents would do? But if he didn't, Vitani would get blamed and he didn't want that to happen either. As it turned out, it was Mawi herself who offered a solution. "Your Majesty, if I may? I think I can answer your question." She said with a slight bow.

"Who are you?" Zira growled, her patience with the situation wearing thin.

"Of course. I am Mawi, the youngest daughter of a humble rogue. I met your son in the gorge and made quick friends with him. We were playing quite innocently, when a trio of hyenas suddenly attacked us. Kovu and I fought valiantly, and Kovu was wounded saving my lowly life. Thankfully the blows weren't too serious and my mother and sister showed up then, having noticed my absence."

"They chased the horrid beasts away, and then at my request, offered to escort Kovu to safety." Mawi continued, the words running like water off her lips. "Unfortunately, we had the misfortune of running into your lionesses and some of them even thought we intended to harm young Kovu. I can assure you this is not the truth. Our only intention was to return the Prince to his family safely. However, to do this we had to trespass on your land, which I'm sure is a punishable offense. I only ask that you judge my family fairly, and we will accept any consequences you believe are sufficient." The young lioness then bowed her head, looking for all the world like a truly remorseful and contrite cub.

_Liar. _Vitani thought. _I know Scar's not necessarily a sane lion, but he is smart. Surely he won't fall for this ploy?_

Scar stared at the young cub for a long while. By all appearances, this Mawi seemed to have saved Kovu. But Scar knew better than anyone else that things—and lions for that matter—weren't always what they appeared to be. He knew that if the lioness's words were true, it would have been Kovu to say them and not the lioness herself. Kovu, like Nuka and much to Scar's annoyance, had formed a bond with Vitani and certainly would have mentioned this since it would free the vexing hairball from Zira's fury. If it were true. But Kovu had not thought to mention a word of this, and Scar doubted nearly getting eaten by hyenas was something one would forget. Nala still remembered what happened to her and the poor unfortunate deceased Simba so long ago in their cubhood, after all.

So she was lying. What's more it was all too clear to Scar that she was the one who harmed Kovu, and so he was completely justified to kill this cub here and now, and maybe her family, if he so desired. And yet despite this cub's obvious transgressions against his family, Scar found himself unwilling to carryout the death penalty. She had harmed his son, clearly manipulated those around her, and confidently lied directly to his face and expected him to believe it. It was then that Scar felt himself having an idea. And this idea, like all of Scar's previous schemes, was so good it just had to be bad.

"Mawi," he bellowed. "I have weighed your family's crimes against your good deeds and I have decided what will be done. From this day forth, you and your family shall be a part of the Shadowlands Pride and your loyalty shall lie herein. No longer will you need to wander aimlessly as outsiders to every Pride you chance upon. This is your home as much as it is mine, and here is where you will stay."

Mawi looked up in seemingly sincere surprise. "Th-thank you, oh great King. Your mercy and generosity are unparalleled. You have my family's word that we shall serve you and your bloodline all of our days." She bowed her head in respect to her new King and her mother and sister did the same.

Scar nodded graciously. "I'm sure you will. Now, one of the other lionesses will show you to a place where your family can rest. Come, Zira." Scar left the outcrop and went back into the dark cave, with Zira and Kovu following behind him.

Nala picked up Vitani and, along with her mother and Sarabi, returned to their cave as well before anymore threats could be made to Vitani. Once the quartet was safe back home, Nala sat Vitani on the ground and stared at her disappointedly. "Why'd you do it, Vitani?" She asked softly. "Why'd you disobey me?"

"I'm sorry mom." Vitani whimpered, her blue eyes shining with tears as she looked up at her mother. "I know you said not to leave…but it's just so boring staying in the cave all the time. I know it's not safe out there…but I've lived my entire life in the Shadowlands and haven't seen the half of it." She sniffled a bit as she felt her ears fall flat against her head. "I was just curious; Kovu was too. He wanted to go somewhere and have fun like a kid without being trailed by his brother or those dumb hyenas. So we came up with a plan while we were playing and snuck away after Aiysa fell asleep."

Vitani then continued to tell her mother and grandmothers how she and Kovu fell in the gorge and couldn't get out, and about what really happened when they met Mawi. "I don't trust her." She said at last.

"As well you shouldn't. She's proven herself to be violent and far too good at lying." Sarabi replied.

"I'm glad Kovu wasn't really hurt."

Nala nodded. "Yes, he's lucky you were there to help him, and I'm proud of you for watching out for him, but neither of you would have gotten in any danger if you had just stayed in the cave until we came back." Nala sighed and lowered herself until she was eyelevel with Vitani. "I know you're curious about the world around you and it's not fair that you're unable to satisfy your curiosity, like most cubs are but the rules your grandmothers and I make for you are there for your protection. The Shadowlands is a very dangerous place. You could get hurt if you aren't careful, Vitani, we have many enemies even within our own Pride. I love you more then anything in the world and I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either, mom." Vitani purred and rubbed her face against her mother's. Nala returned the nuzzle, and then the four lionesses settled down for a well-deserved night's sleep.

* * *

Morning brought with it a cloudy overcast that highlighted all that was dreary and dark in the Shadowlands. And it was in the early morning, under the gloomy cloud cover, that the hyena trio made their way to where Mawi's family lay dozing lightly. Banzai crept up to the slumbering lioness, and poked her in the side a couple times. "Hey. Wake up, already." Unfortunately for him, she did wake up, and reacted the way any sane lioness would to a strange hyena approaching her in her sleep. She pounced on the mangy carnivore and held him securely to the ground. Her claws were cutting into his skin, and her teeth were bared in rage and distrust.

"You won't be eating my cubs today, bone head." She snarled.

"Hey, I don't wanna eat your stupid cubs! We just came to tell you King Scar wants to see you, although I can't imagine why…"

The orange-eyed lioness stared at Banzai for awhile, before apparently deciding he was telling the truth. She stepped off the moldy hyena and allowed his companions to escort her to Scar's cave. Banzia looked back at the cubs almost longingly, before giving a scoff and turning to follow Shenzi and Ed. "Eh, probably wouldn't taste that good anyway."

When Mawi's mother entered the cave, Scar was waiting for her. Sly green eyes met suspicious orange ones. "You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes. I have a proposition for you. How old is your daughter; how many months?"

"Three months, two days. Why does it matter; what's the proposition?"

Scar smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but a crafty, cunning smile that whispered of past schemes dark as night and hoaxes of questionable character. "My son is three months as well. There are no other lionesses in the Pride his age—"

"What about the female cub he was playing with yesterday?"

"That is not someone I would prefer he associate with, however, as she _is _the only cub in the Pride his age, he seems adamant about spending time with her. But now that you and your daughters have arrived, things are going to get very different around here. Mawi will provide an excellent companion for my son, and when they are older, she will provide the Shadowlands with a Queen."

Mawi's mother was astonished to say the least. "King Scar, are you saying you want to betroth my little Mawi to your son?"

"You are correct. Mawi has already demonstrated an attitude and personality that I personally find rather," he paused to examine his claws idly, "hopeful, especially in one so young. I believe that under my tutelage she will grow and blossom into a young lioness that, alongside Kovu, will bring life back into the Shadowlands. What is your answer?"

The lioness bowed her head. "If this is your wish, King Scar, then I will obey."

"It is, and another wish of mine is that neither my son nor your daughter know of their betrothal. I have a feeling they will not take kindly to it at the moment. When they are older, we will tell them."

"Yes, King Scar."

The suave, sneaky King nodded. "Go about your business, then. That is all." As the lioness left the cave and returned to her sleeping children, a cold smirk found its way onto her lips. Mawi's plan to get them into the Shadowlands had worked better than she could ever have imagined.

When Mawi woke, she saw her mother and sister were already awake. Her sister, Mzimu, was being groomed, _because at nine months of age one refers to it as grooming, not bathing; _Mawi heard her sister's voice in her head. Mawi carefully began slinking away. Her mother didn't seem to notice her as her attention was on Mzimu's back. Getting a little bolder, the lioness cub picked up speed, though her movements never lost their sneaky, skulking walk. She was almost free when her mother, without even looking in her direction, called her over for her bath.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Mzimu smiling as though she were greatly amused by her younger sister's antics. Scowling, she stuck her tongue out at Mzimu with all the immaturity of a young cub. This only caused her sister to shake her head in playful rebuke as she left her mother and sister to go and explore her new home. After her mom finally decided Mawi was clean and dirt-free, she started off again only to have her mother call her back again. "What is it?" She growled impatiently.

"I want you to come with me. We're going to meet someone." Mawi wanted to argue, but that no-nonsense tone discouraged anything but obedience. So with a clean coat and her best scowl on, guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of cubs even bigger than her, Mawi consented to playing along…for now. Her mother led her through throngs of hyenas into the main den. There, Mawi found the wimpy cub Kovu tugging mercilessly on another lion's ear. Looking around, she spotted the King and Queen whispering conspiratorially in the shadows to the den. _Drat! I was hoping I could _play _with him some more._ She thought with a smirk.

"Ow! Cut it out, flea brain!" Nuka shouted suddenly, shoving his brother away. He pushed the young cub so hard that he tumbled down the platform the two had been resting on. Zira caught sight of this and stalked over irately.

"Nuka! Be careful; you could've hurt Kovu!" Zira snarled. She swiped her paw at him, and a shaking Nuka dodged just in time. Zira's claws clattered with the stone wall, but she didn't seem as concerned with punishing Nuka as she was with Kovu's health. "Are you injured?" She demanded, pushing the cub to his feet.

"I'm alright, Mom." Kovu chirped. He turned to Nuka. "I'm not a flea brain! That's the hyenas. Your imagination stinks." He laughed.

Nuka growled low. "Yeah, but one of these days I'm gonna find something as annoying as you to call you. Then again…" Zira snarled forcefully, cutting him off and causing him to cower in fear again. Mawi watched the scene unfold, unimpressed. Kovu's older brother seemed to be even more pathetic than he was. Suddenly, her slate-grey fur stiffened and bristled. She turned to see King Scar staring at her intensely. She shivered. All of the sudden she felt extremely exposed, like Scar saw passed her façade, like he knew who she really was. It startled her more than she was willing to admit, and she broke eye contact with the tyrant. She realized in that moment that her ruse hadn't been enough to deceive him in the slightest.

"Zira, show our new huntress the boundaries of our lands and explain to her what will be expected of her as a member of the Pride." Scar commanded without looking away from Mawi's stiffened form.

Zira bowed her head obediently. "Yes, my love. Come!" She ordered the adult lioness to follow her before stalking out of the cave. Casting one look back at her daughter, Mawi's mother trailed Zira cautiously.

"Now," Scar droned, "Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed will be here soon."

"Aw Dad, do they have to follow me everywhere?"

"You know the answer to that, Kovu. The world is a very dangerous place. Why, just think of your recent escapade. You were nearly killed…by hyenas wasn't it, Mawi?"

"Yes, sir." Mawi bit out the words. They left a bitter taste in her mouth now that she knew she'd been found out. Was that why he sent her mother away? Was he going to kill her now?

"There, you see. Thankfully Mawi had been around to protect you." Before anything more could be said on the matter, three shadowy forms entered the den. Scar nodded to them. "Very well, Kovu, you are free to go anywhere within the boundaries Zira and I permitted last night. I would strongly advise against doing otherwise." When the auburn cub nodded his understanding, Scar continued. "Mawi will accompany you for today."

Dark emerald green and bright scarlet red eyes widened simultaneously. "That's not—"

"You can't—"

"Kovu, if you wish to go out and play today you will abide by my rules. And you Mawi, I don't think you're in much of a position to decline my requests either."

The female cub's scowl deepened with the reminder that she and her family were at the mercy of this conniving lunatic, while Kovu pouted at having to somehow sneak away from the hyenas _and_ the ill-tempered new addition to the Pride. In the end, though, they both accepted Scar's conditions as he knew they would.

* * *

Mzimu was walking by Pride Rock when she saw two things that got her attention. The first was her sister leaving the opening in the company of hyenas and the young male cub that was the apparent Crown Prince, and the second was another lion cub. This one appeared to be closer to her age and sported ashen-grey fur and a lanky, thin form that moved quickly along the edge of the rock spiral. Her curiosity piqued, Mzimu watched as her sister and escorts moved farther out into the Shadowlands, before sneaking stealthily up and around the stone tower herself.

She followed the lion as he led her to a small cliff in the back of Pride Rock. Her red eyes widened even more than normal and she struggled to stifle a laugh. Her unknowing guide had collapsed on his side and was _playing _with a small grey mouse that had come from behind the wall of rock. _Well, he seems to be enjoying himself, _Mzimu thought. She watched as the mouse crawled inside his ear of all places, and how he hopped and jumped and dragged himself around on the ground like crazy to try and rid himself of the vermin. Gleeful timbres of laughter betrayed his enjoyment of their apparent game, however, and the mouse finally seemed to climb outside of the ear opposite the one it entered.

_How did it do that? Unless…he doesn't have a brain and that's just a hollow space…_The thought was so random and ridiculous, that the nine-month-old cub was unable to hold back giggles of her own. The noise of another's presence reached both mouse and lion, and the smaller of the two ran fearfully for the safety of its home in the crack of the wall, while the lion sought refuge behind a small rock just big enough to hide his shivering form. Hearing silence, red eyes peeked from behind the boulder curiously.

Mzimu watched as he glanced over the obstructing boulder and met her eyes, only to shrink back behind the rock for a few minutes before repeating the process. By the third time, she found herself getting bored and decided to go over and introduce herself. _It's only right,_ she supposed, _I did follow him all this way. _"Hello." She greeted politely.

He squeaked and jumped back. "W-who are you? What do want?"

"Don't be afraid. I'm Mzimu. My family is new here; we moved in last night, remember? I don't believe we've met."

"Uh, no." Nuka had heard all about Kovu's little adventure last night, as well as the new arrivals it brought with it. But he was hoping to steer clear of anything to do with his annoying younger brother, just for today. "I'm Nuka."

Mzimu scrunched up her long muzzle. "Stink?"

Nuka scoffed angrily. He hated when people made fun of his name. "Oh, like you're one to talk. 'Ghost', how original for a grey-pelted lioness."

"Well, it's better than stink!" Mzimu shot back haughtily.

"Not by much!"

Mzimu crouched low and pounced on Nuka before he could react. His eyes widened in fear and he lay supine on the ground. "Please don't hurt me!" He whimpered.

The lioness tilted her head in confusion. "Hurt you?" It was then her red eyes caught sight of a scratch on his shoulder. It was healed, but hideous and she wondered what kind of creature would be so horrid as to attack a cub like that. She walked off Nuka and held out a paw to help him up. Nuka accepted the aid and period of silence that seemed to last for an eternity stretched between them. Mzimu was the one to break it. "What happened to your shoulder?"

Nuka glanced down at the wound in question and then resumed studying the lioness cub before him. Deciding he could trust this strange lioness who had followed him all this way, made fun of his name, pounced on him when he made fun of her name, and finally instead of ending him like he was sure she could, she had helped him up and seemed to be genuinely concerned about him despite the fact they just met. Yes, he could trust her. So he told her what had happened, how Kovu got away from him when he wasn't looking, and how angry his parents had been when they discovered he'd lost their youngest son.

"That's awful! I can't believe King Scar did that to you. It wasn't your fault Kovu got away."

"Exactly! But does anyone realize that cub's a sneaky little escape artist? No! It's 'Prince Kovu' this and 'Prince Kovu' that. He sneaks off and nearly gets himself killed and I'm the one who gets punished. Sometimes I just get so mad I could…"

"Well, go on." Mzimu urged when he trailed off.

"That's as far as I've ever gotten. If Mom or Dad or anyone hears me speaking ill of the precious 'Crown Prince' I get hurt."

"Why is he Crown Prince anyway? You're older."

Nuka held his head sadly. "I guess I just wasn't a good enough heir for my dad. Sometimes…sometimes he makes me feel like I'm not even a worthy son."

Mzimu's ruby eyes burned in a righteous inferno. Who did Scar think he was? What gave him the right to treat anyone, let alone his own son, that way? "You shouldn't ever call that into question, Nuka." She growled low. "You are a good lion, and I know you're a good son, that you love your parents, and think highly of your father. That much is evident in the way you talk about him. Scar doesn't realize what he has in you. He's too blind to see all that you can give him, and that's his loss. Let Scar believe what he will, but as for yourself, you should know you're a good lion—better than many others I've met in my travels, and believe that you have something worthwhile to give. I believe it."

"Mzimu," he smiled widely, his eyes shining with happiness and gratitude for her kind words. "Thanks. You're a good friend."

Mzimu grinned. She decided in that moment she liked Nuka better when he was happy. When there was light in his eyes and his body no longer seemed to sag with pain and worry and doubt. "No problem."

"Wanna play tag?" He asked suddenly.

"Tag?"

"It's a game…you mean you've never played?!"

"Not to my knowledge. How do you play?"

"One of us is 'it', and he…or she chases the other one until they catch em, then the other one becomes it and the roles reverse."

"Sounds like fun. Oh, and Nuka," she tapped his good shoulder with her paw. "You're it!"

The young Prince sneered playfully as he darted off after the running lioness. "You'd better run, cause I'm gonna get 'cha!"

* * *

Mawi, on the other paw, was having far less of an enjoyable time. They had walked from Pride Rock to a dried up crater in the ground, to a murky river on the far side of the Shadowlands. The only half-way amusing thing happened when the loud hyena leaned down to get a drink, fell in the water, and came _this _close to getting eaten by crocodiles, much to the amusement of the mute one. The crocodiles had actually snapped him up in their jaws, but they spit him back on the bank (where he crashed head first into a dead tree) when they got a taste of him.

Now the hyenas were busy bellyaching cause they were hungry. It was always something with those three bozos. She wondered why Scar would even trust them around his heir…speaking of the wimpy cub, she spotted Kovu sneaking away while the loud one and the mute one were fighting, and the female one was trying to break it up. Mawi narrowed her eyes and flicked her tail back and forth. The bright (well, bright compared to the rest of her fur) orange tuft of fur on the end of her tail twitched as she kept her eyes on the Prince. When it began to get difficult to see him, she slunk silently after him not even caring about the arguing hyenas behind her.

When she caught up with him, he had led her to a small cave in the side of Pride Rock. Peeking in, she saw him scuffling with the female cub that was with him yesterday. They weren't alone in the cave, but were being watched closely by Aiysa, the same lioness who, Mawi remembered, tackled her mother when they first arrived in the Shadowlands. The young cub involuntarily growled as she watched the three lions, attracting the attention of those she was spying on.

"Mawi, what are you doing here?" Kovu exclaimed.

"I saw you sneaking away from your cub-sitters—not that I blame you. Those hyenas are as exciting as a dead tree stump and twice as dumb. I didn't want you to find your way into trouble again, so I followed you. You're welcome."

Vitani narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure you had only the purest of concerns for Kovu and the best intentions toward him." She scoffed.

Mawi gasped and put her paw over her heart as she molded her facial expression into one that was extensively wounded. "Why Vitalini, I'm hurt. I would never try and harm the Crown Prince. That would surely be suicide, and besides after all the King Scar has done for my family, I think it's only fair that I repay him by keeping his son safe."

"My name's Vitani. And if you're so interested in protecting Kovu, then why did you try and kill him just yesterday?"

"I wasn't going to hurt him, if that's what you're thinking. I was only playing. I saw a cub my age and I wanted to play with him. I had no way of knowing that he was a Prince, or that he obviously wasn't as tough as I was."

"Hey!" Kovu interrupted before Vitani could make a rebuttal. "What do you mean I'm not as tough as you? I was just taking it easy on you yesterday. I just didn't want to make you feel bad by beating you too quick is all."

"Oh, how considerate of you, young Prince," Mawi replied. To Vitani her sarcasm was painfully obvious, but Kovu didn't see to notice it as he blushed and asked her to call him by his name. Vitani rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well it was nice of you to stop by, but Kovu and I have things to do so…" She stepped in between the two cubs and began to back Mawi out of the cave. Before she could complete her mission, however, Kovu moved between her and the double-talking lioness Vitani had been trying to rid them of.

"Just a minuet, Tani. Mawi, I know this great place near an old, abandoned meerkat colony. We could all go there together."

Vitani was shocked. "Kovu! That's our secret place. I can't believe you're thinking of taking this—this…walking mudbug anywhere near it!"

"Vitani!"

"No, Kovu it's ok. Your friend obviously still holds me accountable for that small, little mistake I made yesterday. I can't say I blame her. If a strange lioness pounced on my friend from out of nowhere I'd be pretty upset too. Well…I would if I had any friends."

"You—you don't have any friends?" The young cub repeated his face and voice equally soft. Mawi just gave a slow, sad headshake. Vitani felt like she was going to puke. Was Kovu really that blind? Couldn't he she what she was? Couldn't he see what she was doing? "Well you've got one now!" The young lion cub assured Mawi. "I'll be your friend. And don't feel bad about what happened before, either. I don't blame you; you were just playing like you said."

_Guess that answers my question._ Vitani thought sarcastically. Mawi and Kovu began to walk out of the cave. Kovu, being kindhearted, if not naïve cub that he was, turned around and asked Vitani if she wanted to come with them. Vitani did want to come. She wanted more than anything to follow along and be there to protect her friend when Mawi tried to off him again. But she couldn't. "My mom said I had to stay here." She informed the male cub with more than a little bitterness.

"Ok, see you around then…I guess." Kovu hesitantly replied, before running of catch up with Mawi. Blue eyes gleamed in the dullness of the den. _I don't know what you're up to Mawi, but as soon as things calm down, I plan to find out. I just hope it won't be too late when I do…_

* * *

**Ladies and Gentlemen: an extra long chapter four for your enjoyment! Mostly because the Shadowlands Saga part of the story is taking longer than I expected. But I hope to have Nala and Vitani en route to the jungle to find Simba by the end of chapter five. As long as there are no other interruptions, it shouldn't be a problem. *Gulps nervously when Scar and Mawi glare heatedly* That's gonna haunt my nightmares.**

**Kate: Yeah, Zira's a jerk. But if she wasn't we wouldn't have our baddie after Scar passes on to the Great Villain Convention in the sky. Oh wait, that's the wrong direction…**

**Happytobeareader: Mawi is evil. She's also conniving, manipulative, and could pass for Scar's biological daughter better than Vitani ever could in this story. Hey, there's an idea…*thinks for a minuet, then shudders uncontrollably* Uggh, never mind bad idea!**

**Raina: Thanks so much! I'm glad I'm not slaving over this hot keyboard for nothing. **

**Nightmaster000: Thanks! Glad you like it. Vitani's my favorite LK character too. She's just so much more interesting then Simba or Kiara. My opinion, folks, just my opinion. Put the sharp, pointy pitchforks and flaming torches down! Some villager is probably missing them!**

**And that my friends, draws us to the conclusion of another chapter in the unbearably long Shadowlands Saga part of the story. I'll find away to get Nala and Vitani back with Simba soon if it kills me! Of course with that attitude… **


	5. Friendship and Folly

Disclaimer: I don't take credit in any way, shape, or form for the production, creation, marketing, or even idle dreaming of the Lion King.

* * *

Chapter 5: Friendship and Folly—A Desperate Escape

For the past few days, Vitani had been confined to her family's cave, mostly due to the distrust brewing between Mawi's family and most of the other lionesses. Meanwhile, Kovu had spent much of his free time around Mawi. Though at first the idea of spending time with the Crown Prince repulsed the young lioness completely, once she discovered Vitani's immense opposition to their time together, the slate-grey cub changed her tune.

She began act as though she enjoyed Kovu's company and often came up with many ideas and adventures for the two to do together. She insisted on teaching Kovu how to _really _fight, though he didn't take to that idea as much as she would've liked. Sometimes they just talked. Those were the times Mawi found both unbearable and somewhat tolerable. Still, she learned a great many things about Kovu and his life in the Shadowlands—such as how he loved his family unconditionally, especially Nuka, though in Mawi's opinion the older lion didn't seem to return the cub's affections. He was very proud of his father and mother, and of his position as Crown Prince of the Shadowlands, but he also admitted that he thought his father could treat the other lioness a little nicer than he did.

"Why should he?" Mawi scoffed when she heard that confession. "He's King isn't he? He can treat them however he likes."

"But it just doesn't seem right, how he forces the lionesses to go so far to look for food. And when they do manage to find some, the lionesses are always the last to be able eat. I just…think maybe he could do better is all."

"You do, huh? Well, what do you know about ruling a kingdom anyway? He's been doing this since before you were even born; I think he knows a little more about how to run a Pride than you do, Kovu." Mawi flicked her orange-tipped tail agitatedly. This was why she hated talking with Kovu. Because even though she never revealed a true word about her and her family, she did speak the truth in reference to Kovu's family. She could see what was happening and she didn't like it at all. Within the painfully short time span of four or five days that annoying little hairball called Kovu was starting to get under her fur, so to speak. Not enough to where she'd actually ever call him an actual friendand mean it, but enough to where the initial disgust and hatred she'd had for him had reduced to an intense dislike.

What's more she had actually felt herself starting to _respect _his parents. She didn't respect anyone! She obeyed her mother because she knew the consequences of disobedience, but she respected no one. And yet whenever her mother told her of a particularly shrewd and lethal call Zira made during one of the rare times she or Scar grew hungry enough to bother her to lead the hunting party, Mawi couldn't help the feeling of admiration growing inside her. It was the same as when Scar delivered a speech to the Pride and/or hyenas. One of the ones where he manipulated and tricked his audience into believing whatever he wanted them to believe and they fell for it blindly. As much as Mawi didn't want to admit it, as much as it went against every shred of who she was and who she had ever been, the cub couldn't help but acknowledge—only deep within the safety of her own mind—that she was gradually beginning to warm up to Kovu and to his parents. And she _hated _it!

* * *

While Mawi struggled with these warming feelings toward the royal family, her sister had already struck a strong, secure friendship with the first-born Prince. Mzimu and Nuka spent most of their days on the cliff behind Pride Rock, where they first met one another. Their time together was more relaxed and selfless than the acquaintance their siblings had forged. When Nuka was with Mzimu, he felt all his frustrations melt away. No matter what Kovu had done or what his parents blamed on him, Nuka forgot all life's unfairness when he looked in Mzimu's eyes.

Mzimu was also grateful for Nuka's friendship. What she had told him the day they first met was true—in all her travels she had never met a lion as kind and gentle as Nuka. Most of the lions around her age she met were just beginning to get interested in females for other things than just innocent friendship. She was often flirted with, and depending on how old the flirter actually was, she tended to find the situation either humorous, awkward, or down right insulting. She was more than just slave to cater to a lion's every need and bare him cubs when she became of age. Most lions couldn't see that, but Nuka valued her for more than her body or her gender. She knew he thought of her as a true friend and she easily thought the same way of him.

"Hey, Mzimu?"

"Yeah, Nuka?"

"Are you as bored as I am?"

"Oh, no you don't!" The lioness lifted her head and turned to glare mockingly at her friend. "The last time you asked me such a question, we both nearly got eaten alive by the crocodiles on the northeastern border."

Nuka grinned crookedly. "Yeah, and had the time of our lives! C'mon Zee, I promise we won't get eaten, drown, or otherwise fall into danger of any kind."

"Now why don't I believe you?" She asked rhetorically, and then sighed. Try as she might, she couldn't deny that she was bored to tears. There just seemed to be nothing to do other than lay around languidly all day, which was something Mzimu's former way of life made difficult for the lioness cub. "Very well; what's your idea?"

The scrawny cub leaned closer, as though about to divulge a great secret of the universe. "Rock sledging!"

"Huh?"

"Rock sledging! It's a game I made up when I was younger." He walked over to the edge of the cliff, where many different rocks of diverse shapes and sizes were stacked haphazardly on top of one another to connect the edge of the overhang to the ground. "You just pick out a flat rock, close to the top, shove it a little to make sure it's lose, and climb on." Having been digging out the area around such a rock while he explained the game to Mzimu, the young cub now leaped on the rock, laughing when it suddenly lurched forward and then swayed back. "Get on!"

"Are you insane?! You said it wasn't going to be dangerous. There's a thousand ways we could get injured doing this. Maybe even killed! I—no, I won't do it and I suggest you get off as well, before you end up dead!"

"Nothing bad'll happen. I've done this a million times before, look, what happens is you rock forward and the stone starts rushing down the mountain till it gets to the bottom. It's completely safe, I promise."

Mzimu shook her head emphatically. Her distress was obvious in the way her claws were gripping tightly onto the rock face and in how she gazed desperately at him. "I can't do this, Nuka. I—I'm afraid."

"You, afraid? Since when? Yesterday you faced those crocodiles like it was nothing."

"That's because I'm not afraid of crocodiles." Her voice lowered. "When I was Mawi's age, mother and I got caught in a canyon, but we weren't alone. We were being chased by a band of rogues. Mother never told me who they were or what they wanted; she said I was too young to understand. Anyway, we finally managed to escape the canyon by going through a narrow tunnel at the end of it, but the rogues were right behind us. There was this huge noise, like two thousand elephants trumpeting at the top of their lungs all at once, and then big chunks of rock began to fall from the ceiling of the tunnel. Mother called it an avalanche. We were lucky to escape it, but the rogues weren't so fortunate. I still remember how one of them looked as his face poked out from the sharp rocks. He was marred with deep cuts and large bruises and his body had been totally crushed in the avalanche…" Mzimu cut herself off, frightened still by the memory and unable to continue.

Nuka was aghast at this startling revelation into his friend's past. "That's terrible, Zee! No one should have to go through something like that, especially not a cub."

"Now you understand…there's just too many similarities between what you're asking me to do and what happened to me before. There's just too many ways something like that can happen again."

"But it won't." Nuka smiled confidently now, eager to help. "The avalanche stayed with you the rest of your life right? Well here's your chance to stop it from following you around anymore. If you face your fear, you won't have to be afraid anymore."

"That sounds wonderful, but what if—"

"No, it's ok." Nuka interrupted and gently helped her onto the rock behind him. "I'll be right here the whole time. I promise you'll be ok. Don't you trust me?" He smiled when he felt Mzimu nod against him. "Then hold on tight!"

He pitched forward, causing the rock to slip free of whatever small confinement still held it in place. The stone slide down the pile of rock at an angle and picked up speed as it continued its descent. Nuka let out a yell of pure enjoyment, while Mzimu released one comprised solely of fear. The young lioness felt her blood pound in her ears and her heart swell in her chest. Bland greys and tans and browns flashed by as she compulsively tightened her hold on the stone sled beneath her. Now nearing the bottom of the pile, one rock stood out from the rest. It was reasonably large and wide, and part of it was jutting up into the air. With absolute horror seizing her tight, Mzimu realized two things. One, it was a jump, and two; _they were heading straight for it!_

Mzimu wanted to abandon sled and jump off more than anything else in that moment, but even as terrified as she was, she still retained the common sense to know leaping from the rock in this moment, at this speed, with all those other sharp, deadly rocks littering the ground would be more dangerous than seeing this prescription for death through to the end.

The base of the stone scraped loudly against the jump as it prepared for liftoff. Mzimu, though, didn't have time to prepare. One minute she was digging her claws tightly into the surface of her ride, the next she was tumbling through air freed from the stone she had all but melded into. The feel of the breeze against her fur felt oddly refreshing after losing almost a year off of her life. Seeing the ground approaching quickly, she twisted madly in the air trying to get into a position that would lessen the impact of the hard ground.

With a soft grunt Mzimu landed on her side. She lifted her head and looked herself over to make sure nothing was broken, before climbing to her feet. "Nuka?" Red eyes scanned the terrain looking for the male cub. Spotting an ashen-colored form sprawled out on the ground, Mzimu rushed forward. The lion cub in question was laying still, much too still for Mzimu's comfort. "Nuka!"

"What?" Nuka's head lifted and he grinned crookedly at Mzimu. "I'm ok. So, was that fun or what?"

"You idiot! When I saw you lying here, I thought you were dead or something! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Hey, sorry." Nuka pushed himself to his feet and closed the distance between himself and Mzimu. "I didn't mean to scare you, Zee. But it's ok. I'm alright, you're alright, and we're both still alive. It's ok."

"It just…when I saw you so still—so lifeless, I couldn't help but see that older lion in your place. It was like I was back in that place again, staring at the rogue's dead body, but powerless to do anything about it. Powerless to stop death."

Nuka didn't know what to say. He hated seeing his friend so fearful and sad, but his words didn't seem to be able to comfort her. There had to be something he could do… Suddenly an idea popped into his head. It was a strange thing to consider doing to a friend, but once he acknowledged it, it wouldn't go away. And maybe—maybe it would be able to do what words couldn't. Stretching his neck forward, he felt the fur on his face brush lightly against Mzimu's. He heard her gasp, and thought maybe he should pull away, but an instinct as old as the first lion and lioness held him in place and moved his head without his permission. He was aware that he was gently caressing the side of the lioness's face, and felt vaguely embarrassed about it even though he was unable to stop.

However, the embarrassment melted away when he heard another sound coming from Mzimu. This was neither a gasp of shock or indignation, nor a growl of displeasure or annoyance, but a light and tender sound that made the young lion feel warm all over. Mzimu was _purring_. Growing up in the family that he was, Nuka only rarely heard such a sound from his own parents, mostly when they were acting…creepy. It was never directed toward him _or _Kovu, and in this one instance he was his brother's equal. But despite never experiencing the noise himself, something deep within him—the same feeling that urged him to nuzzle Mzimu in the first place—told him that it was ok. The noise, though strange to him now, was a good thing. It meant happiness and cheerfulness and contentment, and that was all Nuka wanted for Mzimu. Before he knew it, he began purring as well.

When they finally broke apart, neither could tell how long they had been there, only that it had been awhile. The sun, once half shrouded behind a cloud high in the sky, was now starting to sink below the horizon. Nuka peered at Mzimu in the dwindling light. She seemed flustered, and yet at the same time a good deal more happy and at peace than she had been before. Mzimu stared at Nuka. Her heart was pounding even harder than it had been on the death ride down. Did he know the implications one might take toward what he had done? Did he know what nuzzling her like that could mean between a lion and lioness of their age? _No, _she realized. _How could he? Having been sheltered his entire life, with no lionesses his own age around, and certainly no parents to teach him of these things… _Mzimu reasoned that he had simply had seen her sorrow and fear, and sought to relive her of it. The method he used was only a way to ease her suffering, not to add to it.

"…It's late, Nuka. We should get to bed."

"Kay, night Zee."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Sarafina picked listlessly at the remains of the hyena's meal. What was left over belonged to her and the lionesses, but still it was hardly enough to feed a cub Vitani's age, much less 20 full-grown felines. She breathed out a light sigh and left the feeding area, allowing a younger lioness to zone in on the all but bare bones that was to be their repast. Sarabi and Nala took notice of the tawny lioness's mood and immediately followed after. "Mom, what is it?" Nala questioned, concerned at the lack of food Sarafina even touched. "I know hyena meat isn't a delicacy—far from it in fact, but you have to eat. We're not getting much food as it is, and with those three new lionesses around, we have to keep up our strength. They seem to be very quickly falling in line with the rest of Scar's followers."

"Nala," Sarafina interrupted before she could say anything more. "You have to leave."

The younger lioness felt her jaw drop and she quickly looked around them to make sure no one had overheard Sarafina's wish. Finding everyone either squabbling over what was left of the kill or already on their way back to the dens, Nala answered quietly. "Do you know what you're saying? You speak of desertion, and while I hold no loyalty to that parasitic usurper and his arrogant Queen, I will not leave the Pride-sisters to deal with him alone. I will not abandon my family."

"You won't be abandoning me, Nala. Go; run away from here and take Vitani with you. Find help. Find a rogue strong enough to challenge Scar and then return. _Please._"

Nala felt the wind rush out of her as she realized what her mother wanted her to do. It sounded like a good plan, but this wasn't the first time they had talked about sending one of the younger lionesses out to find a capable rogue to free them from this tyranny. But it _was_ the first time Nala was asked to be the one to leave. And she knew why. Looking in her mother's eyes it wasn't difficult to see that Sarafina wanted her daughter and granddaughter away from here. Now that Vitani was old enough to make the trip, and while everyone was still focusing on the three new arrivals, it seemed like the perfect time to try an escape. And if anyone was going to sneak off to find help, Sarafina wanted it to be Nala and Vitani. So with a sigh, Nala nodded her agreement and along with her mother and Sarabi, began to brainstorm a plan for getting her and her daughter far away from the reach of the Shadowlands.

It was late at night when they returned to the small, cramped den they'd lived in since Scar's rule. Inside Vitani was curled slightly in a circle, her tail loosely coiled around her body. She looked so peaceful that for a moment Nala was loathed to wake her up, but then the young adult remembered the urgency of her mission and the necessity of escape. "Vitani, wake up sweetheart." Nala whispered softly, gently tapping her on the shoulder to wake her.

Blue eyes blinked open. "Mom? Grandma Sarabi? Grandma Sarafina? What are you all doing back so late?" She paused to yawn. "The others came in hours ago. Is something wrong?"

"We have to go, Vitani."

"Go? You mean leave the Shadowlands?"

"That's right, little one." Sarabi answered. "There isn't much time. Sarafina and I are going to keep the Pride busy so you and your mother can escape."

"But aren't you coming too?"

"No, little one. We have to stay behind for now."

Vitani stared with wide eyes at the former Queen, the weight of her instructions collapsing heavily on the young lioness. Whatever drowsiness she'd had upon awakening was now evaporated in the crisp night air. Her mother and grandmothers were asking her not only to leave the Shadowlands, which in itself wasn't so horrible, but also to leave Sarabi and Sarafina behind to face Scar's wrath when she and her mother were safe. She didn't want to comply; she wanted to protest vehemently against leaving, to refuse to move until talk of taking her away from her family and Kovu and Aiysa had ceased. But looking in Nala's eyes, she saw sadness that mirrored her own, fear about heading out into the unknown, and something she almost didn't know how to recognize anymore: hope.

Looking in the eyes of her mother and grandmothers, Vitani felt slightly reassured. "We won't stay gone forever. We'll come back, won't we?"

"Of course we will. We'll find help and come back just as soon as we can." Nala assured her.

And so it was under the cover of night and by the distractions created by Sarabi and Sarafina to divert the attention of the night guards—hyenas mostly—that Nala and Vitani snuck over the boundaries of the Shadowlands and out into the barren desert. And while the hyenas were being taunted with visions of gazelle and antelope and zebra, another lioness slightly older than Nala herself, took advantage of the situation. As the two older lionesses brought their diversion to a close, she followed Nala and Vitani's path out of the Shadowlands, changing course once she was far enough out in the desert not to be spotted. She was finally free.

* * *

**Finally! It took me awhile, but I did it. We are officially out of the "Shadowlands Saga" part of the story. And after Simba throws down against Scar, we'll be done with it for good. Up next: Nala and Vitani find a jungle, a slow warthog and a bossy meerkat, and an old friend once thought to be dead. In order to save their home, they must convince him to return and take back what's rightfully his. And what happens when he and Nala fall in love in the process?**

**Mail call! **

**Raina: Tell me about it! I get ticked at people because they wrote an awesome story, but won't update, then I turn around find myself a victim of the sanity-deprived disease called Writer's Block. It's madness, I say, madness! Yes, I suppose I do like Nala. She's a very smart and capable lioness and she keeps Simba from going even more insane with paranoia than he already was in the second movie. I don't really dislike any LK characters, though. They all have their moments, it's just I prefer some to others because of background (or lack thereof) and personality and things like that. **

**Nova Lioness: Thanks! Glad you like it, and allow me to be the first (ok, the only) person to welcome you to Day after Tomorrow. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of my insanity. It's a very good year for it. **


	6. The True King Lives

Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King.

* * *

Chapter 6: The True King Lives—Simba, Please Come Home

The desert air was dry and suffocating. The warmth of the sun, such an unexpected pleasure in the dank, dark, dry Shadowlands, was now stifling as it seemed to cling to Nala's pale coat and weave around her body past the verge of discomfort. Sweat poured like rainwater over her fur, and her mouth was entirely dehydrated and crusted with aridity and drought. If Nala was uncomfortable, then Vitani was downright miserable as her shaggy fur and slightly darker coloring invited more heat in and then held it there. The young cub had finally given up trying to walk as the sun reached its high point. Now gently swaying in Nala's mouth, she battled fatigue and possible heat stroke as the sun continued to abuse both lionesses.

"Mom…how long…?" She meant to ask how much longer until they could find shade, find water, but she was just too tired to remember how to form full sentences. It was so hot. Nala couldn't answer with Vitani in her mouth, but she gave a small reassuring meow in reply. In strict honesty, she had no way of knowing when they would find cover from the sun's angry rays, or if they ever would, but she did know she had to get her daughter out of the sun—sooner rather than later. She was just starting to panic, thinking that Sarafina had wanted them to leave to give them their best chance, and now they were both going to die out here—when she heard the cry of a bird. She placed Vitani on the ground and turned an intense gaze to the sky above. There was no bird fluttering about overhead. Not even a buzzard or vulture circled around the sky, waiting for a meal. Nala had to admit that thought wasn't completely discouraging. She bent down to pick Vitani up…when she heard it again. The unmistakable _tweet-tweet _of some bird, she knew she wasn't imagining things. And where there were birds there had to be…

"Water." Nala exhaled, feeling hope flood through her. Picking Vitani up, she flew down the same giant hill that only minutes ago had been murder to climb up. A dense jungle waited patiently ahead of her, willing to welcome the two weary travelers into its thick, leafy foliage with open arms. The grass underfoot was soft and cool, soothing Nala's sand-engrained, tired paw pads. Tall trees and plants with wide leaves blocked some of the sun and created refreshing shade for the tired lioness. She reached her destination—a clear, cool pool of water, not scarcely big enough to be a pond. It was deep blue, like her eyes, like Vitani's, and sparkled and shimmered with a thousand stars.

She placed her young charge gently down near the water and lightly nudged her with her muzzle. When Vitani didn't even stir, she stretched out her forelimb to catch some water in her paw. Relaxing in the uplifting dampness of the liquid, she lightly splashed Vitani with it, allowing the life-giving droplets to rouse the lioness cub from her heat-induced slumber. Sure enough, Vitani shifted a few times, and then awoke. Her blue eyes revealed her confusion of her new surroundings. "Mom, where are we?" She croaked weakly.

"Shhh." Her mother cautioned her. "Drink now."

When Vitani saw the clear blue water, her eyes went wide. Never before had she seen water that looked so good. The Shadowland's water source, the murky crocodile-filled Northeastern River, was stomach-churning just looking at it, never mind the taste. And the Safou berry juice that Rafiki gave her for nourishment, as she was not yet able to consume meat, was even worse than that. Vitani felt her lip curl at the thought of it. But dipping her snout into the fresh water, she discovered that this was like nothing she'd ever drunk before. It was cool and clear and fresh and good, and Vitani found herself gulping down the liquid just as fast as she could, forgetting even to breathe for a few seconds.

When both lionesses had had their fill, they rose from the bank feeling somewhat more revitalized and rejuvenated. Now that her thirst was quenched, Nala felt hunger begin to claw viciously at her from the inside. A small rumble voiced the request for food plainly before assaulting the lioness again. It wasn't a totally unreasonable request, after having been unable to intake anything for several days during the journey across the desert. Food just wasn't all that abundant in the middle of a barren, desolate wasteland. Nala let out a small, involuntary growl when a scent on the wind greeted her nose. It was a scent she'd almost forgotten how to recognize. It was the scent of a herbivore, the scent of prey, the scent of food.

Vitani had caught the scent as well, though unlike her mother, she wasn't able to identify it as anything other than different. "Mom, what's that smell?"

Nala smiled. "It's food, sweetheart, and it's nearby. Will you be alright on your own?" She looked back down at Vitani, not wanting to leave the cub if it wasn't safe, or if she couldn't handle it; death by starvation notwithstanding.

"Don't worry about me, mom. I'll be fine." Seeing her mother wasn't completely convinced, Vitani added, "I won't leave this spot and if anything bad happens, I'll use my roar like you taught me to do if I was ever in danger."

Nala sighed. She didn't really sense any danger nearby. And she was famished, besides. Not to mention eating something that wasn't rotting hyena carcass or tough crocodile hide was vastly appealing. "If you even think something's wrong, roar as loud as you can, then run and don't stop until you're sure you're safe. Don't try and find me; wherever you are, I'll find you."

"I promise."

Nala nodded and hesitantly left her daughter in search of food. After walking for awhile she found the creature that she was tracking—a red warthog, small and stout, but plump. Crouching low in the drying yellow grass, her tawny coat proved invaluable as she blended in almost completely with her surroundings. A low growl, once again involuntary, sounded from the back of her throat. The warthog paused and glanced behind him from where he was sprawled on a log. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, the creature shrugged and continued his struggle of scaling the log, humming all the while.

Her muscles tensed and her mouth began to water as she prepared to catch her prey. Letting out a huge roar, she pounced from her hiding spot and gave chase to the warthog as he ran wildly through the jungle. He dove under a tree root to avoid capture and subsequently ended up getting himself stuck. "She gonna eat me!" He cried, pawing fruitlessly at the ground.

A meerkat appeared and began shoving the warthog, trying to free him from his prison. "Whoa! Jeez, why do I always have to save your—Ahhh!" Nala was about to tear into the first decent meal she'd had in a long time, when a male lion suddenly leaped over the tree root and began to claw and fight with her. Nala, though taken aback by this recent development, soon began to trade blow for blow as the battle grew fiercer and fiercer. He was standing between her and a meal she desperately needed, and what's more, he was a _male._ He wasn't too happy about her being here, but if he found out about Vitani…she didn't want the young cub getting hurt by this lion or any other, if she could at all help it. The meerkat started coaching the lion from sidelines, telling him to go for the jugular. _Like he knows anything about fighting,_ Nala scoffed. The battle raging between the felines had become, by this point, more of an intense wrestling match as both lion and lioness vied for domination. Seeing an opening, Nala moved quickly and ended up pushing the lion on his back with a thud. Her teeth still bared, she pinned him tightly and held him there.

The lion, for his part, was surprised by this action. "Nala?" He wondered, as if he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it. "Is it really you?"

"Who are you?" Nala demanded; backing off the lion and putting as much distance between them as she could while remaining close enough to continue the conversation.

"It's me, Simba."

"Simba?" Nala stared distrustfully at the lion for a minute, but looking a little closer she couldn't deny she saw bits and pieces of the cub she knew in her childhood. Those familiar red eyes, that strong golden hue, even his voice sounded familiar now that she really listened. There was no doubt about it, this actually _was_ Simba. "Whoa! But how did you—"

"Ahh, how did you, wow, this is cool—"

"Where did you come from?"

"It's great to see you!"

"It's great to see YOU!"

"Hey! What's going on here?!" The meerkat shouted at the top of his lungs, fed up with being ignored while Simba and Nala greeted each other.

"Timon, this is Nala, she's my best friend."

"_Friend?_"

"Yeah. Hey, Pumbaa, come over here." The warthog—Pumbaa—finally managed to get himself unstuck from the tight tree root. "Nala, this is Pumbaa. Pumbaa, Nala."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure's all mine."

"How do you do…Woah! Time out let me get this straight." Timon spoke up. "You know her, she knows you, but she wants to _eat _him…and everybody's ok with this? DID I MISS SOMETHING?!"

"Relax, Timon." Simba tried to calm the hyperventilating meerkat.

"Wait until everyone finds out you've been here all this time… And your mother, what will _she _think?" Nala pointed out, assuming that Simba would want to return and take his proper place as King, like he was meant to, like the entire Pride desperately needed him to.

"…She doesn't have to know. Nobody does."

"Well, of course they do, everyone thinks you're dead."

"They do?"

"Yeah. Scar told us about the stampede."

"Oh. What else did he tell you?" Simba didn't seem so much curious in his questioning as ashamed. And Nala, for the life of her, couldn't figure out why.

"What else matters, you're alive. And that means…you're the King."

"King?" Timon scoffed. "Lady, have you got _your _lions crossed."

"King?" Pumbaa, by contrast, was awed by this revelation. "Your Majesty, I gravel at your feet."

He began nosily kissing Simba's paw, much to the irritation of the lion. "Stop it."

Timon sauntered up to his friend. "It's not 'gravel', it's 'grovel' and don't—he's not the King!" He glanced up at Simba. "Are ya?"

"_No!_" The golden lion replied, now thoroughly annoyed.

"Simba?" Nala couldn't believe her ears. Simba, her childhood friend, who for as long as she'd known him was always so proud of being a Prince—a pride that would at times boarder on arrogance—was now denying his rightful claim to the throne? If anyone would've told her _this _is what she would find when she left, she would've screeched at them day and night for making a mockery of her friend's memory.

"No, I'm not the King. Maybe I was gonna be…but that was a long time ago."

"Let me get this straight." Timon interrupted. Again. "You're the _King_?And you never _told_ us?"

"Look, I'm still the same guy."

Timon held up a fist enthusiastically. "But with power!"

"Could you guys…excuse us for a few minuets?" Nala asked the two herbivores. She really needed to talk to Simba, and it was obvious by now that wouldn't happen with Timon around.

"Hey, whatever she has to say, she can say in front of us, right Simba?"

"Um, maybe you'd better go." The lion replied gently.

Timon stared at his friend, shocked, then resigned as he and Pumbaa slunk off into the jungle. "It starts." He muttered. "You think you know a guy…" Pumbaa sighed in response.

"Timon and Pumbaa." Simba chuckled as his friends disappeared. "You'll learn to love 'em." Noticing Nala's saddened expression, he turned his attention to her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Nala looked at him sorrowfully. "It's like you're back from the dead. You don't know how much this will mean to everyone. What it means to me…"

"Hey, it's ok."

In a moment of boldness, Nala rubbed against his chin. "I've really missed you."

Simba, though startled at first, quickly reciprocated. "I've missed you, too."

* * *

They both walked out into the jungle, forgetting for the moment about Scar, the Shadowlands, and Timon and Pumbaa. But the meerkat and warthog duo hadn't forgot about them, and watched with annoyance and a distinct feeling of helplessness as a pretty lioness began to lead their friend farther and farther away from them…metaphorically and literally. Timon especially was aggravated with the situation. "I tell ya, Pumbaa, this stinks."

"Oh, sorry."

"Not you." Timon said desperately. "Them! Him. Her. Alone."

Confusion was evident in Pumbaa's voice when he replied, "What's wrong with _that_?"

"I can see what's happening." Timon began singing.

"What?"

"And they don't have a _clue._"

"Who?"

"They'll fall in love and, here's the bottom line, our trio's down to two."

"Oh."

"Ze sweet caress of twilight. There's magic everywhere. And with all this ro-man-tic atmosphere…disaster's in the air!"

* * *

Simba was excitedly showing Nala his home and telling her of the adventures he'd had while living here. As they strolled playfully around the waterfall, they paused near the water's edge for a drink. _Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings? The world, for once, in perfect harmony with all its living things._

Nala began to lap of water, while Simba watched over her, a difficult battle raging inside him. _So many things to tell her, but how to make her see the truth about my past? Impossible! She'd turn away from me._

As Nala raised her head to meet Simba's intense gaze, she knew there was something he wasn't telling her. She could see it in his eyes, even if she couldn't tell what it was exactly. _He's holding back, he's hiding, but what? I can't decide. Why won't he be the King I know he is, the King I see inside? _Catching her gaze, Simba ran off, disappearing from sight for a moment, then came back with a vine and swung on it, letting go when he was above the water. When he didn't resurface right away, Nala leaned closer, anxiously searching for him. All of a sudden, he burst through the surface, grabbed Nala, and pulled her in before she even had time to react. The water was cold and freezing, and she floundered for a minute trying to catch her breath before climbing back on dry land. Shoving Simba back in the water, she then headed deeper into the jungle, leaving Simba to follow her.

_Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings? The world, for once, in perfect harmony with all its living things. _They started play fighting and scuffling as though they were cubs again. Not paying attention to their surroundings, they ended up rolling head over paws down a hill. When they stopped moving, Simba was on top and had, for all accounts and purposes, pinned Nala for the first time—though later Nala would say that didn't count due to gravity and momentum, with Simba being larger than her. _Can you feel the love tonight? You needn't look too far. _Nala smiled lovingly up at Simba and gave the side of his face a small lick. The jungle-raised lion stared at the blue-eyed lioness in surprise. Her countenance didn't change. It was one of utter affection, of complete devotion, of true love. Oh, yes, she was sure. Simba smiled and moved in closer to nuzzle her warmly. _Stealing through the night's uncertainties, love is where they are._

* * *

Back with Timon and Pumbaa, both herbivores were finding it increasingly difficult to hold back tears. Timon began singing again. "And if he falls in love tonight," he paused to sniffle a bit, "it can be assumed…"

"His care free days with us are history." Pumbaa added, now singing as well, and with the same downtrodden and sad voice as his friend.

"In short our pal is doomed!" They intoned together, before bursting into tears and sobbing loudly over a situation they didn't want to happen but were powerless to change.

* * *

"Come with me." Nala asked Simba as she began padding away. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"What? Who?" Simba wondered. Nala came here alone…didn't she?

"You'll see." Nala led him over the hill, past the waterfall, through the jungle, until they arrived at the border where Nala first entered the jungle. Sitting by the water's edge, looking positively bored out of her mind, was Vitani. When she heard paw-steps, she glanced up to see her mother…being trailed by some strange lion? There was something familiar about him, though. It felt like she'd seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place where. A recognition she couldn't quite place seemed to dance teasingly on the edge of her memory, like something from a dream. "Vitani." Her mother called to her, breaking through her thoughts. "This is an old friend of mine, Simba. You remember I told you about him?" Vitani nodded. She remembered the stories of her mother's childhood friend and the adventures they got into. They were her favorite bedtime tales of all. "Simba," Nala continued, "this is Vitani."

The large lion stepped forward. "Nice to meet you, Vitani."

"Nice to meet you, too. Mom's told all about the adventures and all the fun you guys had when you were little. I know everything about you, Mr. Simba!" The she-cub gave him a bright smile that was utterly disarming. Simba felt his heart begin to melt slightly at the sight of it.

"Well, maybe not everything, little one. And please call me Simba; Mr. Simba makes me feel old."

"Ok. You called me 'little one' though, just like Grandma Sarabi does."

Simba faltered. "Grandma Sarabi?"

"Yeah, she's one of my grandmas, and Grandma Sarafina is the other one. She's my mom's mom. We had to leave them behind in the Shadowlands while we left to get help." She looked up at Simba with questioning, yet hopeful blue eyes. It did nothing keep the lion from falling further in love with this cub. "You will help us, won't you, Simba? Mom says we have to find a strong lion to challenge Scar for the throne. Mom says you're supposed to King anyway. So you can come back home with us and be King instead of Scar and everything'll be ok again."

"I—I'm sorry, li—Vitani. I'm not the King anymore, Scar is."

"Of course you're not the King, _now_. But you have the right to be. All you have to do is challenge Scar and win. I know you beat him; you're so much stronger than he is. You don't have to be afraid."

Simba sighed. He was afraid, yes, and somehow the cub had seen it. But she was mistaken about what he was frightened of. And he couldn't explain it to her. "I'm sorry, Vitani, I just can't." And with that, Simba turned on his heel and retreated into the jungle.

Vitani looked at Nala. "You've got to talk to him, Mom. Make him understand. We're safe, but the others aren't. We have to get help."

"And we will, sweetheart. Wait here just a little longer, I'll speak with him."

Nala found Simba lying in a hammock of loose vines. He looked up as she approached. "Whose daughter is she, Nala?" He asked quietly. "Is she Scar's? She doesn't act like it."

"She is Scar's, but not the way you're thinking. Mom would lay herself out on a silver platter for the hyenas before she'd let him do something like that to me. Scar took a Queen not long after he assumed the throne. Zira's her name, and she gave him three cubs. Vitani was the only female, and therefore the only one he disowned completely."

That got Simba's attention. "Scar did what?!"

"The day she was born, Scar held a ceremony for her younger twin brother. Instead of having the same ritual preformed for her, Scar publicly disowned her in front of the entire Pride. To say nothing of the entire clan of hyenas he merged with our Pride. I adopted her after I found Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed trying to eat her a few weeks later."

Simba had climbed down by this point and had begun pacing. "She doesn't seem to think highly of Scar."

"She has no idea she's related to him or the royal family. She believes she is my biological daughter, and it's easier that way. Any opinions she's formed of Scar has been through her own eyes. Trust me, Simba, she's seen more in her young life then most animals should have to. That's the reason we need you to come back. Vitani's lived her whole life looking over her shoulder because at any given time a hyena will try to eat her, or one of Scar's followers will try to get in his good graces by trying to kill her. She deserves a safe place to grow up; a place where she can learn what it means to be a cub. And you can give that to her."

Simba turned away. "Sorry, Nala. I'd love to help…but I can't. You'll have to find another hero."

Nala was shocked, then angry and her facial expression showed it as she stared at the back of her oldest friend. Her voice, however, betrayed her sorrow when she replied, "So am I. I don't know that we can."

Simba turned back around to face her, but she was already gone. Only the gently swaying leaves of nearby bushes revealed the direction she went in. Simba sighed and walked off in the opposite path. Minutes later he was pacing back and forth in an open field feeling angry, confused, upset, and bitter all at the same time. "She's wrong. I can't go back. Even if I did, how could I help them? How can I help Vitani when I killed my own father? I'm no King. Whatever they say, the Pride Lands are better off under Scar. Vitani'll be alright. She's made it this far. And what if I did go back, anyway? What would it prove, it won't change anything. You can't change the past." He paused and looked up at the stars twinkling softly in the night sky above. "You said you'd always be there for me!" He screamed accusingly, and then sighed. "But you're not. And it's because of _me_. It's my fault. It's my fault."

A soft chant reached his ears on a gentle breeze, and he looked up from where he had bowed his head in pain. "Asante sana! Squash banana! We ve nugu, mi mi apana!" Simba rolled his eyes, annoyed at the wrinkly baboon swinging in the trees, and made the executive decision to get away. He walked over to a body of still water and laid down on the log over it, looking morosely into the water at his reflection. Rafiki, overjoyed to see the Crown Prince and rightful King alive and well, followed him via a treetop route and tossed a stone into the pond, making the lion's reflection ripple. "Asante sana! Squash banana! We ve nugu, mi mi apana!"

Simba glanced up at him. "Come on, will you cut it out?"

Rafiki simply responded by laughing and doing random aerobatics in the trees. "Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back."

Simba sighed and walked off. He growled under his breath when he saw Rafiki was still following him. "Creepy little monkey. Will you stop _following _me? Who _are _you anyway?"

Rafiki popped in front of the grown lion, and then got right in his face, completely disregarding any boundaries of personal space. "De question is: whooo…are you?"

"…I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure."

"Well, I know who you are. Shh, come 'ere, it's a secreet…Asanta sana! Squash banana! We ve nugu, mi mi apana!"

"Gaaah! Enough already! What does that even mean?"

"It means you're a baboon—and I'm not."

"…I think you're a little confused…"

"Wrong! I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know_ who _you are!"

"Oh and I suppose you know?"

"Sure do. You're Mufasa's boy." Thrown for a loop for about the twentieth time that night, Simba froze and turned around to face the baboon he was only seconds ago trying to get away from. The crazy old ape gave a smile and a small wave. "Bye!"

"Wait!"

* * *

"So he's not gonna help us?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart. He's dead set in believing Scar knows what he's doing and everyone's better off with him as King."

Vitani sighed and idly lapped up the rest of the Safou juice Nala had found for her. It still tasted awful, but upon remembering what her mother had to consume for a meal—crawling bugs and beetles and worms—she was happy she couldn't eat meat yet. Glancing skyward she noticed something she had never seen before. Dotting the black night sky were thousands of little lights twinkling and shimmering with mirth. Most nights in the Shadowlands, thick masses of swirling clouds blocked the sky, heavy with water that would never fall. Since Vitani was usually safe inside her family's den by the time the sun went down, she never saw the stars even when the skies were clear. "Mom, what're they?"

"Hmm? Oh, those are stars."

"Stars?"

Nala smiled at Vitani's curiosity, before looking up at the glittering lights herself. "Yes. Legend has it that every Great King that ever lived is up there, watching over the lions below."

"Wow. Really?"

"That's what Simba told me once, when we were cubs. He said his father told him that the Great Kings of the Past would guide him whenever he was alone or didn't know the way."

"Is it true?"

"I don't know. I've never seen it with my own two eyes before, but that doesn't mean it's not true."

"But if you've never seen them, then how do you know they're really there?"

"Sometimes, Vitani, seeing is believing. And sometimes believing is seeing."

"I don't understand, Mom. But you know; if the Great Kings of the Past really _are _up there, then I hope they can convince Simba to help us."

"So do I, sweetheart, so do I."

* * *

"Whad was dat? De weather…pbbb very pecueyer, don't you tink?" Rafiki laughed as he approached the field where Simba stood staring desperately at the sky.

"Yeah." The lion replied. "Looks like the winds are changing."

"Ahh, change is good."

"Yeah, but it's not easy. I know what I have to do, but going back means I have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long."

Without provocation, Rafiki suddenly hit Simba over the head with his trusty staff.

"Ow! Jeez, what was that for?"

"It doesn't matter." Rafiki laughs. "It's in de past."

"Yeah, but it still _hurts_."

"Oh, yes, de past can hurt. But de way I see it, you can eider run _from _it….or, learn from it." He swung his staff a second time, but this time Simba ducked and avoided a second head injury. "Ha! You see? Now what are you going to do?"

"First…I'm gonna take your stick." He snatched the offending branch from the ape, and tossed it aside.

"No, no, no, no! Not de _stick_!" Rafiki retrieved his beloved staff, then turned to see Simba running off into the distance. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"I'm going back!"

"Good!" Rafiki began to cackle like the hyenas that had invaded his homeland. "Go on, get out of here!" His crazed hoots and hollers were heard far off into the night, but why shouldn't they be? Simba was going home!

* * *

Nala and Vitani approached Timon and Pumbaa. The meerkat and warthog were both sleeping peacefully, oblivious to all that had occurred after Simba and Nala left them. Nala tapped Timon with her paw. "Hey. Hey, wake up." Timon did wake to see a lioness's face in his view and started screaming at the top of his lungs. Pumbaa woke up and joined him. "It's OK. Whoa, whoa. It's OK, it's ME."

"Don't ever do that again." Timon commanded, panting. "Carnivores! Oy."

"Have you guys seen Simba?"

"I thought he was with _you_."

"He was, but now I can't find him."

"Ho, ho, ho, ho." A voice from above chuckled. Glancing up, the assembled animals spotted Rafiki sitting in a tree. "You won't find him here. De King has returned."

"I can't believe it. Mom, he's gone back!" Vitani shouted joyfully.

"I know, I heard." Nala's voice was calmer, but was no less delighted than Vitani.

"Gone back? What do you mean?" Timon looked to where Rafiki was perched. There wasn't a sign of the insane ape. "Hey! What's going on here? Who's the monkey?" He turned back around, noticing something. "And who's the _kid_?"

"My daughter." Nala answered.

"Simba's gone back to challenge Scar." Vitani added.

"Who?" Timon asked.

"Scar."

"Who's got a Scar?" Pumbaa wondered.

"No, no, no." Nala interjected. "It's his uncle."

"The monkey's his _uncle_?" Timon questioned.

"No!" Nala and Vitani explained together. "Simba's gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as King."

"_Ohh._" Timon and Pumbaa said together, finally understanding.

* * *

**Timon and Pumbaa can be more than a little dense a lot of the time. Ok! Next time Nala and Vitani, along with Timon and Pumbaa track down Simba and the final showdown between Scar and Simba begins. Simba wins (not a spoiler cause you all saw it coming from ten miles away) and takes the throne as King of the Pride Lands, but all is not well. Remember Zira and the loyalists? They're not too happy about the change in command and ultimately end up getting exiled to the Outlands, which gives rise to a new hatred and a new Pride: the Outsiders.**

**Mail Time! **

**Nova Lioness: I'm glad you enjoy it. You know, the same day you reviewed, your friend did too. Either it was just a random coincidence or you dropped a line. If you told her about it, thank you, if you didn't no big. My story's probably just naturally that awesome anyway. Maybe. Could be. **

**Kate: Yeah, it took a while, but there were some pretty important plot devices I had to deal with before I could reintroduce Simba. And it was fun. **

**Vondon Wiles: Did I spell that right? Ok, great. I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, especially the last chapter. I wasn't quite as sure about that one as I was about the ones previous, so your review helped a lot. Thanks so much! **

**PrincessAnime08: Zira is evil, but then most villains are, so it's ok right? But yeah, disowning your daughter in one chapter, then trying to outright kill her in the next probably wouldn't get her the Mother of the Year Award. It's actually good you don't like Mawi. She was designed, not by me by AquitarStar, to be a mean, sadistic, callous character. I guess I'm doing a good job getting that across. **

**Raina: Oh, I wish! I'd get a vaccine every month. Forget cancer, **that's** what the doctors should be working on. Ah, but try convincing them of that. So you're like a real-world Nala. Ok, keep a sharp eye out cause I see in your future that you will have to convince your real-world Simba to return and stop his crazy uncle from taking over your home! No? Well, so much for fortune telling. Should I read your palm next? I don't really get what everyone has against Kiara. I'm not saying you're wrong; we're all entitled to our own opinions, but I hear people talk about how immature she is compared to Simba or Kovu—news flash guys…she hasn't **had **to go through having her father killed and being told it was her fault. She didn't **have **to grow up in a place that would make the Elephant Graveyard look like freaking paradise. She **did **manage to unite two enemy Prides and switch the allegiance of an assassin before he killed her father and took over her Pride. She isn't completely useless, cut her some slack. **

**Sorry, not trying to insult anyone or turn anyone into avid Kiara fans. I just don't like how close-minded some people can be in regards to the Princess. Please don't flame me. *Does Bambi eyes***

**Whoa it's Fandoms: Thanks! Glad you like it and welcome to the club. We meet once every update for a new chapter and then discuss what we like and what we think could be improved through reviews. Keep in mind that flames will be deposited into an active volcano to mingle with their own kind. **


End file.
